


Hell is Other People

by Cadette



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 10:50:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cadette/pseuds/Cadette
Summary: Thomas can never replace Will Riker, but he can try. Wesley is just collateral damage.





	1. Chapter 1

The halls of the Enterprise were empty and quiet as Thomas Riker made his way toward the First Officer’s quarters, consulting an interactive map as he walked along the unfamiliar corridors. He had been on this ship before, a disappointing visit some years ago after his rescue from Nervala IV. In fact, his life had been disappointing and chaotic since that rescue. Often times he wondered if maybe he would have been better off if no one had come for him at all.

He was nervous, and more than a little bit on edge. He checked the time; if memory served, it was the time of night on the Enterprise when shifts were changing, and the luckier officers got to retire for the evening. Thomas was glad for that. He was not ready to face anyone, not until he got to his quarters and figured out his next move.

His quarters. He tapped the map interface and peered at the twists and turns, the turbolifts and automatic doors. They weren’t really his quarters, of course. Not yet. He was every inch the man who normally occupied those quarters. Now he just needed to figure out how to act like him: Will Riker, the man who Thomas hated most in the universe. The man who should have been him. The life that should have been his.

He paused in front of a pane of glass and studied his reflection quickly. Clean shaven and relaxed despite his stint in prison, very unlike the Will Riker he had left just a few short hours before. That Riker had been bearded and stressed, muscles tense and tired lines on his face. Thomas wondered how this ideal, cushy gig on the Enterprise could have aged his “brother” so drastically when Thomas had managed to avoid it with a much more hardened life.

Brother. Thomas sneered at his reflection. They weren’t brothers. Will Riker was a usurper, a clone never meant to exist. Their relationship was civil, but Thomas had no reservations about taking back what he felt was rightfully his.

His life.

Thomas shook his head and continued walking to his quarters. He rounded a corner, confident that he had successfully navigated his way, when a young man in a red Starfleet uniform crossed his path.

Thomas tensed. The young man’s eyes widened.

“Commander,” said the young man in a breathy voice. 

Thomas looked down at his clothes. He wasn’t in a Starfleet uniform, only the clothes he had managed to steal from an outpost on his way to the Enterprise, and had no display of his rank, but this young officer seemed to know him.

“Or should I say, Captain?” The young man grinned and advanced on Thomas. Thomas edged back slightly. He had not planned for this.

“Should you?” Thomas said, because silence would expose him quicker than any reply.

“That’s what I hear,” the young man said softly. He approached closer and Thomas stood his ground. He glanced at the young man’s pips; red shirt and one gold circle. This kid was an ensign. Useless, but mostly harmless. “I guess it was made official when the Captain left earlier. Where have you been?”

“Busy.” Thomas eyed the young man warily. He was standing in the path between him and the door to his quarters.

“I was looking for you.”

“Well, you found me.”

The young man’s eyes lit up. “Were you doing this?” He reached out a hand and stroked Thomas’s smooth cheek. “I really like it. I mean, I love the beard, too. But this…”

Thomas flinched at the touch. Did ensigns normally go around stroking Will’s face?

“And…” The young man’s fingers trailed down Thomas’s neck. “You look so much younger. More relaxed. Whatever you did - I love it.”

“Thank you,” Thomas said dumbly. He studied the ensign. He looked to be fresh out of the Academy, lower twenties. Tall, willowy with brown hair and deep hazel eyes with long eyelashes. Really gorgeous, Thomas noticed, and he decided he had some time to flirt.

Clearly Will had something going on with this young ensign.

“Thank you,” mocked the ensign. “Give me a break. I just got off, I was hoping to find you in our quarters.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. Our quarters?

“Just got off?” Thomas echoed.

“Yes. You were supposed to be there, too, but we couldn’t find you. Thought this would be a little more important to you, captain, but I guess not.” The young man smirked.

“Captain,” Thomas repeated.

The young man rolled his eyes. “Let’s go. You clearly went to some holodeck spa and your brain isn’t functioning at full speed yet.”

Thomas allowed himself to be led down the hall a few steps to an automatic door that let into Will’s quarters. He looked around when they got inside. Neat and tidy. There was a trombone in the corner. Will must have gotten another one. Thomas wished he hadn’t lost the original a few years ago. The place was definitely cluttered with things meant for two people, though. That was disappointing, no matter how hot the young ensign was. Thomas hadn’t guessed that Will was in a relationship. This was going to make things more complicated. He didn’t even know the kid’s name.

The ensign trailed in and made himself at home, dropping his combadge and tricorder on the table. “Computer, dim the lights,” he said casually. “Oh, my mom told me to tell you that you’re due for your annual physical soon.”

“Okay,” Thomas replied, clueless. This ensign’s mother was a doctor on the ship?

The ensign looked over his shoulder. “What? No fight?” He grinned again and came closer, and hooked his finger in Thomas’s shirt collar. He leaned in and nuzzled Thomas’s neck, and Thomas closed his eyes. The kid smelled heavenly and his touch was soft. “You always put up a fight with medical stuff.”

Thomas, keeping on his guard, allowed the ensign to continue nuzzling his neck and shoulders. “You smell different, too,” the young man murmured. “Did you do this for me?”

“Yes.” Thomas nodded and felt the ensign slide his hands underneath his jacket and shrug it off.

“You look like… Like years ago, when I first saw you at Farpoint,” the ensign said right against the skin of Thomas’s neck. “Really sexy.”

Thomas’s body responded to the touches before his brain did, and he knew he was in too deep to stop progress now. He put his hands around the ensign’s tiny waist and pulled him close to his body.

The young man kissed Thomas hotly on the lips and Thomas encircled his arms around him. If this was the greeting that Will Riker got regularly, then Thomas could get used to this. The boy was nimble and warm against his body and he squirmed in the most devastating way. 

“Tell me, Captain,” the young man purred. “What are your orders?”

Thomas let out a low growl as the he pulled away. He had called him captain again. Was it a weird, sexy little game, or was Will Riker really, actually captain of the ship?

“Do you put out for all captains?” Thomas asked, trying to keep his tone light.

“Oh, no,” the young man replied. He gave a bright smile, his eyes flashing. “Just you. Ensign Wesley Crusher, reporting for duty.”

Wesley Crusher. Thomas nodded, relieved to have this bit of information. “And so, Wesley Crusher… will you do anything your captain asks?”

“Anything, sir.”

“And I’m the captain?”

“What do you think?” Wesley cuffed Thomas playfully on the shoulder. “You know Captain Picard left to see the admiral a few hours ago. Who else would be in charge?”

Thomas felt overwhelmed. He’d known that Captain Picard would be away and that was why he had chosen this particular time to put his plan into action, but he hadn’t quite realized what that meant for Will Riker. He hadn’t heard much from the outside world for the past couple of years, and what little bit of intel he’d gotten, he had to piece together quickly.

Wesley pushed Thomas toward the bed and Thomas fell down easily. Wesley crawled on top of him and began to grind, his hands all over Thomas, and Thomas’s groin began to stir and get hotter.

“So, captain’s orders,” Wesley said, teasingly nipping at Thomas’s lower lip. “I’m yours to command.”

“Take off your clothes,” Thomas said with interest. He propped himself up on his elbows as Wesley slid off the bed and began to slowly pull his shirt over his head. If he could keep Wesley Crusher close somehow without arousing suspicion, it would make Thomas’s plan that much easier.

Wesley stripped down to his black little undershorts and Thomas admired the view. A soft, tight little body with creamy skin and long limbs. Thomas licked his lips with appreciation and nodded for Wesley to go on.

“No,” Wesley replied. “You give me something.”

“I’m the captain,” Thomas replied. “And you’re my officer.”

Wesley sighed and hooked a thumb in the waistband of his shorts. “Yes, sir,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. He pulled down the last of his clothing and Thomas laid his eyes on the sharp, jutting curve of Wesley’s hips and then the pink length of his cock. 

“You’re perfect,” Thomas managed, and Wesley smirked and crawled back on the bed. Thomas palmed his ass immediately, massaging the warm, soft skin and trailing a finger down the crease. Wesley attached his mouth to Thomas’s again and they made out as Wesley fumbled around with Thomas’s clothing until they were both naked against each other.

Wesley knelt up and gazed at Thomas’s body. Thomas had a moment of panic; would he realize something different? He’d been sure to burn off his prison stamp in a painful bout of panic in his escape shuttle. But Wesley’s gaze was heavy with lust and he landed back down again, rolling them so that Thomas was on top.

“What next, captain?” Wesley whispered.

Thomas kissed him again, fully enjoying the perks of being Will Riker. Wesley reached down and took Thomas’s dick expertly in his hands, and massaged until Thomas was painfully hard. It was clear that this was something Will and Wesley did regularly. Thomas grudgingly admitted to himself that he and Will were, technically, the same person, and the same things made both of them feel good. They also had the same taste in men and women, and this Wesley was perfection.

Thomas cradled Wesley on his back, against the bed, and nudged his thighs open. Wesley’s legs fell apart easily and he pulled Thomas’s body close to his and grinded their arousals together.

“Fuck me,” Wesley said softly in Thomas’s ear, and Thomas didn’t need to be told twice. He stroked along Wesley’s hole, feeling the heat and pliancy. Thomas nudged his dick against the opening, teasing, and Wesley grabbed a well-used tube of lube from the nightstand. Thomas souped up his dick and pinned Wesley down, holding his hands on either side as he slowly breached the younger man.

Wesley cried out and squeezed his eyes shut as Thomas pushed in. Thomas let out a sigh of relief, as if he’d been waiting for this very moment for a long time. Wesley was hot, tight, and just another part of Will Riker’s life that Thomas felt was rightfully his. He slid inside and held for a few moments, enjoying the warmth and tightness around his dick, and Wesley squeezed and relaxed at a delicious rhythm. Thomas closed his eyes and began thrusting, experimentally and slow at first - but then quicker, with more purpose and need.

Wesley made soft, needy sounds and Thomas shut him up with a scorching kiss, their lips connected as they fucked. The bed began to squeak and Thomas pressed in harder, feeling his release climb higher and higher. He smacked the underside of Wesley’s ass and Wesley cried out, a smile forming on his lovely face, and he leaned forward and bit at Thomas’s lip. 

“Come,” Thomas said lowly against Wesley’s throat. “That’s an order.”

“No,” Wesley whimpered out, squeezing himself around Thomas’s quick-moving hardness. 

Thomas reached down and stroked Wesley’s cock as he thrust, and Wesley began to tremble beneath him. Thomas wanted to come, badly, inside this beautiful young man, and outside, and all across his smooth, flushed belly. He wanted Wesley to come first, wanted to see the fruits of his labors and watch the young man’s face contort prettily.

He got his wish. In an instant, Wesley went rigid against Thomas and came hard across Thomas’s stomach, and his own thighs. He breathed heavily, arching his back and elongating his neck so beautifully that Thomas had to drop a trail of kisses across the white skin.

Wesley clutched his hands at Thomas’s back and pulled him close, urging him to keep thrusting, to finish his work. Thomas needed no encouragement and kept at it, holding Wesley’s thighs and plunging in deeper than he had before. Wesley, like a ragdoll beneath him, moaned encouragingly and smoothed his hands all over the lines of Thomas’s body. Thomas began to feel his release bubble over and he fucked harder, chasing his release until he cried out and collapsed, coming hard inside the younger man. Wesley hissed and locked his legs behind Thomas’s back, pressing them together and sighing as he was filled up with Thomas’s come.

They held together for a few moments, heavy breathing and panting and kissing when their mouths met. Thomas had not had sex that unbelievable in a long time.

Wesley rolled over and kissed Thomas’s shoulder, eyes sleepy and satisfied. Thomas reached down to his pants and pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of the pocket. He lit up a cigarette and collapsed back down on the bed.

“Um. What are you doing?”

Thomas’s smoke caught in his throat mid-inhale and he coughed. He looked at Wesley, who sat frowning at him. Thomas’s stomach sank. Since prison, he had been a smoker, and he always had a smoke after sex. It was automatic for him.

He lowered the cigarette and forced a laugh. “Did you want one?”

Wesley’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”

Thomas sighed. He had made a fatal mistake. Will Riker would never in a million years do something like this. 

“Yeah, uh, it’s something I’m trying,” Thomas said quickly. He put out the offending cigarette and set it on the nightstand. “My dad, he used to-”

“No.” Wesley stared at Thomas suspiciously. 

“Is it so hard to believe?” Thomas attempted to ask casually.

Wesley blinked. “Yes?”

They stared at each other. Thomas couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. He used to be so good at reading the situation, at reading people.

“What’s going on?” asked Wesley with a frown. “You disappeared all afternoon, and now…”

“I was taking care of business,” Thomas said matter-of-factly. “Confidential.”

“Nothing is confidential between us.”

“I hardly think an ensign should be privy to the type of information discussed among captain and highly ranked officers,” Thomas said coldly.

“Will,” Wesley said, an expression of hurt and confusion on his face. “What?”

“Don’t you agree?” Thomas played for time, watching Wesley become more and more distressed. He realized he had to get the younger man out of there before it was too late.

Wesley touched Thomas’s forearm, and Thomas looked down at the hand on his skin and sighed.

“I’m sorry, uh-”

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something?” Wesley inched closer. “I mean, we just had the best sex in a long time. It was amazing, we haven’t connected like that in months. I know we haven’t been as close lately but I thought maybe you were ready to, I don’t know, heat things up again.”

Thomas almost laughed. So Will Riker couldn’t keep his boy satisfied. What a surprise.

But also, how useful. Nothing was confidential between Wesley Crusher and Will Riker? And Wesley was apparently starving for attention? Thomas could use that to his advantage, perhaps.

Just then, the pilfered combadge in Thomas’s pocket went off. “Commander Riker to bridge,” came a solemn, stoic voice.

Thomas fumbled for the device and tapped it once. “Go for Riker.”

Wesley raised his eyebrows.

“Sir, we require your presence on the bridge to go over some diagnostics that Commander La Forge has delivered from Engineering, at your earliest convenience.”

“Sure,” Thomas replied. “Be there soon.”

Wesley narrowed his eyes. “Do you need directions to the bridge?”

“No, I can find it-” Thomas stopped mid-sentence. “Of course not.”

Wesley pulled back and scooted away from Thomas. “Who are you?”

“What?”

“Tell me,” Wesley said firmly. “And what have you done with Commander Riker?”

“I am Commander Riker.”

Wesley stared at Thomas, slow recognition dawning on his face. “Oh my god.”

Thomas began to pull on his clothes.

“I know who you are,” Wesley said. “I’ve heard about you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Thomas replied calmly.

“Computer,” Wesley said loudly. “Locate Commander William Riker.”

“Acting Captain William T. Riker in his living quarters,” droned the intercom in response.

Wesley let out a choked cry and scrambled for his uniform shirt, about to tap his combadge when Thomas reached forward and took it away. “I wouldn’t do that, Ensign Wesley Crusher.”

“Computer,” Wesley nearly shouted, and Thomas placed a rough hand over Wesley’s mouth.

“That’s enough,” Thomas said smoothly.

“Thomas Riker,” Wesley said in a hushed tone.

“I agreed to go by that name,” Thomas replied grudgingly. “I am actually Will Riker, though.”

“You’re supposed to be in prison. A Cardassian labor camp.”

“I was.”

Wesley pulled the covers up over him and stared, mouth open.

“Don’t be modest,” Thomas said. “Nothing is confidential between us, remember?”

“Where is he?” Wesley demanded. 

“Away.”

“Where is he?” Wesley repeated. “Or I’ll alert security right now.”

“He’s away, and his life is completely at my mercy,” Thomas said evenly. “One word from me, and he’s finished.”

“I don’t believe you,” Wesley said shakily.

Thomas shrugged. “You don’t have to. It makes no difference to me.”

Wesley drew a breath, as if to call the ship’s security, and Thomas raised an eyebrow.

“Prove it,” Wesley said.

“Prove that I am William Riker? Easy, any DNA or molecular or brain scan will tell you. Last time I was here, that red-headed doctor proved that much. Oh, it was Dr. Crusher. Your mother?”

“No, prove that Will is alive and unhurt, or I won’t cooperate with anything you say.” Wesley reached for his clothes again, but Thomas stopped him with a hand.

“And if I’m telling the truth,” Thomas said slowly. “That means you’ll cooperate with me?”

“You’ll be blackmailing me with Will’s life, so let’s see the proof,” Wesley said angrily.

Thomas sighed. It was a pretty good bargain. “All right.”

He pulled a small tablet from his pocket and tapped in a quick passcode. The screen brightened and Wesley lunged for Thomas. Thomas easily held up an arm and pushed the younger man away, his wrist bone connecting with Wesley’s temple, and Wesley fell backward, unconscious like a swatted fly.

Thomas looked down at the nude younger man, remembering how flushed and pretty he’d been just moments ago underneath him. Thomas hadn’t felt anything that tender and real in years. He smiled at the memory and pulled the covers back over Wesley, and slipped the tablet back in his pocket. 

“Should buy me a few minutes to figure some things out,” Thomas murmured.

 

***

 

Wesley stirred, blinking his eyes a few times as the room came into focus. His hand immediately flew to his forehead where a dull throb knocked behind his eyeballs. The room slowly stopped spinning, and Wesley gingerly sat up on his elbows. He was in bed, and he was naked. Was he hung over?

He looked across the room and saw Will, sitting at the table, tapping through a tablet. He was dressed in his Starfleet uniform. Wesley smiled, and Will looked over. Their eyes met and the hard, distant look in Will’s eyes brought back all recent memory, and Wesley knew it wasn’t Will at all. Not his Will.

“You’re awake,” Thomas said mildly.

Wesley squirmed under the covers, still feeling slick and wet from sex. He groaned. He and Thomas had had sex. Amazing, unbelievable sex.

“I hope I didn’t hurt you,” Thomas went on. “Not my intention. I’m trying to avoid anything that would call attention and I bet your Riker doesn’t go around knocking you out.”

“My Riker,” Wesley repeated.

“Mhm,” said Thomas vaguely. “Why don’t you get dressed?”

“Why now?” Wesley asked warily.

“Because I’m about to prove to you that your Riker is still alive and I don’t have time to explain to him why you’re naked,” Thomas replied. “Have a feeling he’d be upset about that and it would be the focus of the entire conversation.” He paused. “Considering how you live together and how quickly you jumped into bed with me.”

“Not you,” Wesley muttered. He tugged his clothes back on and furtively pulled his combadge off and slipped it in his pocket, out of sight in case Thomas decided to take it. “Show me now.”

Thomas paused. “Let’s make a deal. I allow you to talk to your Riker for five minutes so that you know he’s alive and well. In return, you’ll help me assimilate into life onboard the Enterprise and tell me everything I need to know about your Riker’s daily life. I’m an excellent Starfleet officer. I won’t need help running a ship, but I will need you to tell me who’s who and what they mean to me. I’ll replace him, as it’s my life he stole, anyway.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Wesley said quietly.

“Well, if I don’t, then your Riker dies a painful, slow, solitary death.” Thomas gave what appeared to be an apologetic shrug. “The choice is yours. His life was in my hands before, but now it’s in yours.”

“You’re lying.”

“Are you willing to gamble?”

“Maybe,” Wesley said slowly. “What makes you think I care so much about W-... about him?”

“Oh, Wesley Crusher,” Thomas said, mock pity on his face. “I don’t think this is a game you want to play with me. The way you flirted with me, the fact that we share quarters. The way you let me fuck you - oh, no. For you, I think it was making love.”

Wesley steeled himself, unwilling to give a reaction. “Show me.”

Thomas nodded, and retrieved the small tablet from before. He tapped in the passcode quickly, away from Wesley’s prying eyes, and laid the tablet on the table. “Come here. Sit down.”

Wesley tentatively padded over to the table and sat in the chair farthest from Thomas. He stole a few peeks at the older man; Wesley had never met Thomas before, but he had heard about him. A life shared with Will up until the age of twenty-six, and then a slow decline into a hardened criminal. Like Will Riker in every way, with subtle differences. Wesley was ashamed how he’d been instantly attracted to clean-shaven, youthful and relaxed-looking Thomas. Even more ashamed how his body had responded to Thomas’s touch and kisses. How was Wesley to know? It had been so lukewarm between him and Will lately that Wesley jumped at the chance to feel something hot.

“A little closer,” Thomas said. “You know I won’t bite.”

Wesley scoffed. He dared to move one chair closer to Thomas.

“Five minutes,” Thomas told Wesley. “You get five minutes to talk to your Riker, and I’ll be listening. If I don’t like what I’m hearing, I’ll cut you off. This is just so you can see he’s alive and unhurt. Remember our deal.”

“I haven’t made any deal yet.”

Thomas nodded. “That’s fair. I guess I don’t need to show you him, then. There’s no use pretending you don’t care, either. I can tell you care a great deal about him. I saw a few pictures while you were out cold.”

Wesley sighed. “Fine. I agree to the terms.”

“Good boy.” Thomas tapped the tablet a few more times until a video feed of an empty room turned up. The room was well furnished and comfortable looking, though nondescript. It could have been anywhere. “You have a visitor,” Thomas said into the tablet.

Suddenly, Will Riker appeared from the left side, looking rumpled and furious. He wore his Starfleet uniform and aside from the beard and the lines of anger on his face, he looked exactly like Thomas. He walked up to the camera and glared through the screen.

“You son of a bitch,” Will said angrily, more angry than Wesley had ever seen him look. “Where the hell am I and what the hell are you doing?”

“You have a visitor,” Thomas repeated. He slid the tablet toward Wesley and Will’s eyes widened when Wesley came into view. Wesley cried out and grabbed the tablet, tilting it away from Thomas.

“Will,” Wesley said in a hushed tone. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you? What can I do?”

“I’m fine,” Will replied, some of the anger leaving his face. “I have no idea where I am. There’s no windows or doors, and I can’t hear anything outside the walls. I was unconscious for a while. I was walking along the corridor to our quarters, and the next thing I know I’m waking up in this hell hole and that bastard appears on screen and tells me he’s taking over.”

Wesley drew in a sharp breath. “Taking over?”

“Did he hurt you? What’s going on there?”

“No, he…” Wesley touched his forehead briefly. “No. I’m just…” He felt a lump rise in his throat but he was determined not to cry in front of Thomas. He touched the screen, touched Will’s face. “I’m worried about you. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“I don’t, either.”

“I think I can guess,” Wesley said softly, very aware that Thomas was listening to every single word. 

“Yeah, me too.”

Wesley bit his lip and glanced quickly at Thomas. Thomas looked annoyed.

“I’ll think of something,” Wesley said quickly.

“Wesley…” Will leaned in close. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“He wants me to help him.” Wesley turned away from Thomas to get some modicum of privacy. “He said he’ll hurt you if I don’t.”

Will nodded gravely. “I believe him.”

“You really don’t know where you are?”

“Babe, there is nothing here besides some furniture and a few old books I’ve never heard of.” Will sighed and rubbed his temples with his hands.

“I love you,” Wesley said softly.

Will looked worried and shook his head quickly. “Do what he says. Don’t upset him. He’s very dangerous and I don’t know how you got involved in this.”

Wesley flushed red. “Just bumped into him. I live here, too, remember?”

Will frowned. “Okay, but… For now, do what he says. Help him so that the ship runs as smoothly as possible. You know everything about the situation with Picard and the Admiral right now. You know how to do every job on the ship, practically. Don’t let anyone else suffer for this. We’ll figure it out.”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Ha.”

Will managed a vague smile. “Remember what I said. Cooperate with him for now. Don’t give him any reason to hurt you.”

“Or you.”

“I said, don’t worry about me.” Will glanced around the room. “I’m fine. I’ll manage. It’s you I’m worried about, with him.”

“Tick tock,” murmured Thomas.

Wesley ignored him. “Should I go stay with my mom? I can’t stay here with him.”

“Yes, go stay with Beverly,” Will said. “I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“Should we tell him it’s already too late for that?” Thomas said loudly.

“What?” Will’s face was angry again.

“That’s enough,” Thomas said. “Time’s up. Let him wonder what that means. He’ll need something to occupy his time.”

“No,” Wesley protested.

“Wes,” Will said loudly.

“Goodbye, Will Riker,” Thomas said.

“I love you,” Wesley said quickly.

“I love you,” Will replied thickly. “Do what he says. He’s ruthless, and he has someone very powerful backing him. Don’t-”

The screen went black, and Thomas turned to look at Wesley.

“You cut him off,” Wesley said angrily.

“He’s a prisoner. He doesn’t have any rights,” Thomas replied. “Now you know he’s alive and well.”

“Why are you doing this?” Wesley demanded, his voice raising and becoming more hysterical. “What’s your goal? Why did you come back to the Enterprise? Thought they made it clear last time that there’s no room for you here. That’s what I heard, anyway.”

Thomas shook his head. “Doesn’t it bother you that your Will Riker isn’t real?”

“That’s not true.”

“He’s a copy.”

“You know that’s not true,” Wesley hissed. “I read the reports on the incident and it wasn’t like that at all.”

“You read the reports? Good for you,” Thomas said cruelly. “I was there. It happened to me, I didn’t just read about it. Me, Lieutenant William T. Riker. I was getting ready to transport back on to the Potemkin and resume the rest of my career, my life, and I was left behind. Abandoned.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“Yes, I was,” Thomas shouted. “And being stranded on that planet for eight years while some lesser copy of myself went about and lived the life I was meant to have shook my belief in everything I loved about Starfleet. Never leave an officer behind on an away mission. Never.” He pounded the table. “I guess it was just too inconvenient to come back for me.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Wesley paused carefully. “But you have to know they didn’t realize-”

“My entire life!... My plans, my career, my goals, my relationship with Deanna... Is Deanna Troi still an officer on the Enterprise? We lost touch, even when we reconnected a few years ago. Seems she preferred the fake Will Riker, too.”

“Clearly not, as I heard she almost ran away with you to some other starship,” Wesley replied. “And he’s not fake.”

“He’s fake.” Thomas had a stubborn little boy’s expression on his face, and Wesley almost felt for him. Almost.

“Well, you’re free to pursue Counselor Troi, if you want. It might be hard, though, as she’s away with Captain Picard, at the moment,” Wesley said stiffly. “Too bad, because I certainly don’t want anything to do with you.”

“Is that so?” Thomas frowned. “You think a public break-up between you and your Riker wouldn’t call unwanted attention?”

“I don’t care. I know the truth.”

“I see.” Thomas stood and slipped the tablet in his pocket. He walked a few paces, seemingly deep in thought. Wesley eyed him warily.

“So let me go stay with my mother,” Wesley said. “I agreed to help you but I don’t need to live with you.”

Thomas studied Wesley, and Wesley felt the scrutiny as if he was splayed out naked before him on the bed again.

“No, I think I want you to stay,” Thomas said. 

“Counselor Troi will never give you a chance if you’re still with me. She knows how much Will lov… She knows how close we are.”

“Your Riker moved on. Maybe I can, too.”

Wesley made a face. “Please, I said I’d help you.”

“Your Riker seems to like you a lot.” Thomas leaned against a window ledge, arms folded. “You’re devoted enough. You’re hot. Sex with you was fantastic. I might want to explore this.”

“There’s nothing to explore.”

“One word,” Thomas reminded Wesley. “One word from me, and your Riker will be in a world of pain.”

Wesley shook. “One word to who? Who’s so powerful that’s willing to back an escaped convict?”

“You don’t need to know that, Wesley Crusher.”

Wesley felt sick to his stomach. “I can’t… I can’t be around you. You have to understand that.”

“I understand it, but the stakes are too high to let you out of my sight for too long. You’re involved now, like it or not.” Thomas paused. “And your Riker’s life depends on your behavior. So maybe show a little of that devotion and sweetness towards me, and we’ll be just fine.”

“Can’t.”

“Then I guess your Riker will be a little less comfortable tonight.”

Wesley balled his fists at his side and fought the urge to scream. “Okay. Okay. I’ve agreed to your terms, these are mine. Let me see him whenever I want.”

“Once a week.”

“Three times a week.” Wesley stared angrily at Thomas. “For a half hour. In privacy.”

“Twice a week, for as long as I decide, and I’ll stay on the other side of the room,” Thomas said flatly. “Final offer.”

“You’re horrible.”

“I’m every inch the man you love.” Thomas approached Wesley, who tensed. “Just with a different take on things. Remember what it was like to have me inside you? Could you tell the difference?” He paused. “Did you like it better, even?”

“Don’t,” Wesley said weakly. “Please.”

“Things not so great between you and him? In a slump? I can fix that.”

“I never said that,” Wesley mumbled.

“We’ll be doing it again,” Thomas said. “I’ll give you some time, but you can’t deny us that experience again. It was too good. For both of us.”

“Stop.”

“Now, I need to go to the bridge,” Thomas said. “You should come with me. You can be my little tour guide. Captain’s orders. Who paged me? Was it the one with the visor?”

“No, it was Commander Data.”

“Oh, the android. Are you ready to go?”

“No.”

“Well, I think you are. Come on, Ensign Wesley Crusher. It seems our night isn’t over yet.” Thomas held out a hand and Wesley ignored him, standing on his own and walking out of their quarters.

When Wesley got outside, he let out a long, jagged breath and nearly lost his balance. All he could think of was seeing Will on the tablet screen, alone, surrounded by comfort but nevertheless in great danger. And it all depended on Wesley and how he handled this situation. 

The situation. How was Wesley going to figure this one out? He had zero clues about where Will was, or who was holding him. He couldn’t tell anyone, not yet. He didn’t know how far Thomas’s power reached. He had to live with the man who was keeping Will prisoner and potentially doling out torture, as well. Not only did he have to live with him, but he had to find a way to keep him happy and make sure none of the officers thought anything was amiss.

The door slid open and Thomas came out, adjusting his uniform, and started to lope down the hall. “God, you even walk like him,” Wesley murmured to himself. The same slightly crooked, fully confident swagger. Those long legs, the way he tilted his head as he walked.

“Are you coming?” Thomas said over his shoulder.

Wesley grumbled and ran to catch up. Thomas palmed his ass, and Wesley skittered away. 

“Don’t,” Wesley said. “Even Will wouldn’t do that in public.”

“So uptight. Hard to see why you were having intimacy issues,” Thomas remarked. “Which way to the bridge?”


	2. Chapter 2

Wesley walked back to his quarters, trailing behind Thomas, fighting yawns. He kept his eyes on the ground and refused any advances made by Thomas or any conversation attempts. Wesley was exhausted and just wanted to collapse and be with his own thoughts.

The bridge hadn’t been the disaster that Wesley had secretly hoped for. He had thought maybe Thomas would be incompetent and clueless, and everyone would catch on to the act without Wesley being personally responsible. Surely if the entire ship found out that Will had been kidnapped, Thomas would be powerless to hurt him? Wesley didn’t know.

But Thomas had been more than competent on the bridge. He had known exactly how everything worked, and he presented himself as an outstanding deputy captain. Aside from needing Wesley to fill him in on people’s names and what their position was, he was every bit as capable as Will when it came to being a highly ranked Starfleet officer. Wesley was disappointed, but not altogether surprised.

“Keep up,” Thomas said without turning around, and Wesley fell into step, heaving a shaky sigh. Wesley was becoming more and more terrified of the man, simply because he had managed to fool everyone so far. Sure, it had been just a few hours on the bridge with Data and the night crew, but it had shaken Wesley to his very core. It was eerie.

They reached their quarters and Thomas slipped in with Wesley behind him, and the door slid shut. Thomas immediately went to the couch and stretched out.

“How did I do?” he asked Wesley.

Wesley hung by the door, arms folded. “I don’t want to talk.”

“Do you think I should grow a beard? Too many people commented on it for my comfort,” Thomas went on. “It just reminds me of being stranded on Nervala with no razor, you know?”

“I guess.”

Thomas laughed, hands behind his head. “No beard, then. What are you doing over there?”

Wesley shrugged heavily. “Can I talk to him again?”

“You want to say good night?”

“Please.”

“So polite. No, we had a deal. You can talk to him again in a few days. He’s fine, don’t worry. We’re the same, you know. I survived eight years of boredom and captivity. You find ways of getting creative. I don’t feel sorry for him at all.” Thomas patted the couch beside him. “I’m the next best thing, though. Come here.”

“No, thank you.”

Thomas pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit up, and Wesley felt like he might cry.

“Come on,” Thomas said after a long drag. 

“I hate the smell.”

“I doubt you’ve ever even smelled it before.” Thomas stood and walked over to Wesley, put a hand on his tense shoulder. “Are you always this tense?”

And then Wesley broke, letting out a muffled sob as a couple of tears fell down his cheeks.

“Oh, no,” Thomas said with a frown. “Don’t do that.”

Wesley turned around to face the wall, wrapping his arms tighter around himself, and scrunched up his face to stop the tears. He couldn’t cry in front of this monster. He took a few deep breaths, feeling Thomas’s presence behind him. Wesley wanted to be alone, he wanted to leave this place and allow himself to react, to mourn the loss of Will, to try and figure out how to get him back. Thomas keeping him here was some kind of slow torture.

“How did you do it?” Wesley asked, still staring at the wall. “How did you get from a high security prison to… here?”

“I thought you didn’t feel like talking.”

“Fine.”

“No, I’ll talk,” Thomas said. “It would be my pleasure to talk to you.”

Wesley winced, making a face at the wall.

“Come sit,” Thomas said, softer this time. 

Wesley sighed again, and brushed past Thomas to sit down at the table. Thomas joined him after a moment, and they sat in quiet.

“So,” Wesley said dully, breaking the silence. “How.”

“Hmm.” Thomas put out his cigarette and leaned back in the chair, rubbing behind his neck the way Wesley had seen Will do a million times. Wesley had to look away. “How much do you know about the Cardassians?”

“Enough.”

“Nasty race. The prison I escaped from - yes, escaped - was a Cardassian facility. If you know anything about the Cardassians, you’ll understand why I did it.” Thomas exhaled, his expression pained. “At first, I didn’t have any intention of… coming here. My objective was to get out, and stay out. Hell, I joined the Maquis because I hated the Cardassians. To be imprisoned by them after all my effort and resistance was unacceptable. I had to get out.”

“I heard you surrendered,” Wesley said. “To save your crew.”

“They had my hands tied.” Thomas shook his head. He repeated, “I had to get out.”

Wesley nodded and glanced at the clock. Almost four in the morning.

“It took a lot of planning but I managed to bribe one of the more sympathetic guards and we worked together to get a shuttle pod set up for my escape. Nothing special, really run down and not much gas, but it was my ticket out of there and it was beautiful.”

“Shuttle theft.”

“Please. You would have done the same.” Thomas laughed roughly. “Your Riker definitely would have done the same. The guard fixed up the inmate roster so that no one would miss me, and one night, I was able to slip out and escape. No alarms, no yelling guards. Just a quick, easy escape.”

Thomas fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt, looking anxious. “That was the easy part. From there I barely made it to an outpost and had to steal a bigger, better shuttle. The thing was stocked with supplies, so it was a lucky choice. I got out of there quickly - you know what? Get that look off your face, I don’t need your laced-up, rigid Starfleet opinion on this.”

“Fine.”

“So I’m in my new shuttle, no idea where to go or what to do. I had a couple of friends on Deep Space 9, but I wasn’t about to show up there, not after what happened with the Defiant.”

Wesley couldn’t help smirking. Thomas had stepped in it almost everywhere in the galaxy.

“Then, uh, as it happened… someone found me first.” Thomas looked down at his hands. “They scanned my shuttle and thought I was your Will Riker, actually. Not my finest moment.”

“Who?”

“It’s not important, who.” 

“Who?” Wesley demanded.

Thomas glared at him. “They would have killed me, if I had actually been your Will Riker. It took a lot of convincing that I wasn’t him. A lot of…” He winced, as if in pain. “And I thought the Cardassians were bad.”

“They should’ve-” But Wesley stopped himself. They should’ve killed you. 

Thomas looked amused. “But they didn’t, Wesley Crusher. They wanted First Officer Commander William Riker of the starship Enterprise. They weren’t about to waste any energy on me, not after I convinced them I could be useful in other ways.”

Realization dawned on Wesley. “Oh, no.”

“To collaborate with someone who hates Starfleet and the Federation as much as I do? It was the perfect fit. They wanted something, and so did I. Perfect partnership.”

“If you hate Starfleet so much…”

“Why come back? Because, kid, it’s my life, and it’s what I had been working towards, and as much as I have lost my faith in Starfleet and the Federation, there’s no other place for me. I wanted to be captain of a Federation starship by the time I was thirty-five - actual captain, not deputy. Your Will Riker couldn’t accomplish it. He came close, but his stupid sentiment got in the way and he became comfortable. I wouldn’t have settled like he did. I have bigger plans for myself than that.”

“Will was not settling. He still has plans-”

“I don’t care.”

Wesley ground his teeth and stared at the ceiling. “So you’re sacrificing his life for yours, with the help of some anonymous and powerful group.”

“I didn’t say it was a nice plan,” Thomas said testily.

“So they helped you kidnap Will.”

“Yeah. That part was easy, too. They beamed me onto the Enterprise, I found Will and knocked him out, and my new friends beamed him off the ship and took him to his new living quarters.”

Wesley frowned, trying to understand. “What’s in it for them?”

“It’s not important.”

“Does this have to do with - with the Admiral’s impending death? Is something going to happen?” Wesley frantically tried to put the pieces together. “Why now? Why now, when Captain Picard is away, and the entirety of Starfleet is fragile? Are these… these people you’re working with, are they responsible for the sudden upset in Starfleet? The attempted assassinations?” He shook slightly. “How far does your involvement go?”

“You’re a smart boy,” was all Thomas replied. “Now are you convinced that it’s in your best interest to do what I say?”

Wesley stood and took a few steps back, staring at Thomas. “What’s going to happen to Will?”

“I don’t know.”

“You want him dead.”

“Honestly, there’s not enough room in the galaxy for both of us. But he’s just fine where he is, at the moment.”

Wesley gave a low sob, and his knees began to wobble. Thomas stood and went to him, steadying him by the shoulders. Wesley was too distraught to pull away and allowed himself to be held by Thomas, by the man who radiated malice but looked and acted so much like the man Wesley loved.

“Hey,” Thomas said, dipping his head to try and look Wesley in the eye. “I get it. This isn’t easy.”

“Shut up.”

“Be nice. We had a deal.”

“I don’t have to be nice to you!” Wesley shouted, finding his voice. “Not in here, where no one can see us. I can’t stand to even look at you. You disgust me, and you scare me.” He rolled out of Thomas’s grasp and started to cry again, and Thomas took him in his arms. Wesley went rigid, afraid to upset the other man, but unsure what else he could do.

“It’s going to be okay,” Thomas said quietly. He rubbed at Wesley’s back, a familiar feeling for the younger man, and Wesley went even more rigid. “You’ll learn to like me in time. How could you not?”

“You don’t get it,” Wesley mumbled, tears hot on his cheeks. “Or maybe you do, and you’re just that twisted.”

Thomas smiled, a handsome curve of his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You have nothing to fear, so long as you do what I say. Got it?”

Wesley pulled away from the older man and stalked over to the couch. He lay down, facing the back cushions, and shut his eyes tight.

“I was going to offer to take the couch,” he heard Thomas say. “But you know I have a bad back, so thanks.”

Wesley didn’t reply. He heard Thomas moving around the room, and then heard him shift into bed and pull the covers up.

“And don’t think about doing anything stupid while I’m asleep,” Thomas added. “You know the consequences.”

Wesley curled up tighter and shivered slightly. He was tired, but he had too much thinking to do for sleep.

 

***

 

Thomas looked around the bridge of the Enterprise, remembering the last time he was in command of a USS starship. He’d had a loyal crew and one unwilling hostage, but even Major Kira had come around to him eventually. The Riker men just had that way with people.

His eyes landed on Wesley, focusing on his work as a conn officer, seemingly going out of his way to ignore Thomas. So far the rest of the crew had not caught onto their unexpected “lover’s spat”, but they would, Thomas realized. The Enterprise wasn’t a soap opera, but Starfleet officers were very perceptive and would notice something eventually.

“Captain,” spoke Lieutenant Worf. “We are approaching the Biyzunian orbit. Actually, we have been in the planet’s orbit for some time now, but Ensign Crusher has not volunteered this vital information.”

Wesley turned around in his chair and frowned. “I’m sorry, Mr. Worf. I didn’t think-”

“It is vital that we know when we are approaching the atmosphere so that we can assess and scan for hostiles,” Worf barked at him. 

“All right, now,” Thomas said, standing up. He threw a stern glance at Worf, who glowered silently. “No one is perfect, Lieutenant. I suggest you mind your own duties.”

“When Ensign Crusher ignores his duties-”

“I didn’t ignore them,” Wesley protested. “I’m sorry, it slipped my mind. I have been making all the proper notations and sending them to the database, though. See?”

“Biyzuna is all but a mystery to us, but for a weak distress signal emitting from the surface,” Worf said angrily. “You would do better to pay attention and keep the best interests of your crew in mind.”

Wesley appeared flustered. “I would never-”

“That will be all,” Thomas said with authority. “Lieutenant, this is a warning. I will not have you speaking to Ensign Crusher in that fashion. Not on my ship.”

“It’s not necessary, Captain,” mumbled Wesley.

Worf stood tall behind the rail and kept his eyes trained on Thomas. Thomas gave him a menacing look, and Worf averted his eyes. Thomas walked over to Wesley’s chair and stood behind it, resting his hands on the seat. He could see Wesley tense in his position.

“They can’t talk to you that way,” Thomas said softly. “I know what it’s like to be fresh out of the academy, posted as Ensign on a major craft. People think they can walk all over you.”

“I was wrong,” Wesley said stiffly. “Mr. Worf was right to say so.”

“I was just looking out for you.”

“Well, don’t. He would never have intervened with Mr. Worf in that situation.”

“I’m not him.” Thomas rested his knuckles gently against Wesley’s neck, brushing the soft skin. Wesley leaned forward, breaking contact, and Thomas sighed.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Worf,” Wesley said loudly. “I’ll try not to lose focus again, especially during such important contact.”

“That is all I ask,” Worf replied gruffly.

“We are ten minutes from atmospheric breach,” Wesley added. “Scans are showing no sign of activity at the moment.”

“Preparing the shields,” Worf said.

Thomas watched, amused. Wesley was determined to avoid him. Well, Thomas was captain of this ship and avoiding him was not an option.

“Ensign Crusher, I’d like to see you in the ready room, at your convenience,” Thomas said. “Let Ensign Yarfu take over duties for the time being.”

“I’m busy. Can it wait?” Wesley said rudely.

The entire bridge was silent, and the crew members busied themselves with their work.

“It cannot,” Thomas said firmly.

Wesley heaved a sigh. “Fine.” He made a big show of handing over his duties to the other ensign, and the dragged his feet to the ready room. He disappeared inside, and Thomas looked over his crew.

“Lieutenant Worf, you have the bridge.”

“Acknowledged,” Worf replied shortly.

Thomas strode into the ready room after Wesley and found the young ensign leaned against the desk, arms folded, cloudy expression on his face. 

“They all think we’re fucking in here, probably,” Wesley groused. “This is so unprofessional.”

“Let them think it,” Thomas said with a shrug. “I wanted to talk to you about what just happened out there.”

“Also unprofessional. Will would never have stood up for me.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” Thomas studied the younger man carefully. “Was I just supposed to let that Klingon rip into you?”

“He wouldn’t have. Mr. Worf respects me.”

“That didn’t look like respect.”

“I screwed up,” Wesley said. “I didn’t make the proper announcement.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m so angry at you that I can’t even…” Wesley rubbed at his forehead. “I’m tired.”

Thomas took a seat behind the desk. “I appreciate you cooperating with me.”

“I have no choice.”

Thomas cocked his head and leaned back in his chair. “You’re smart. I think you do have a choice. You just know that cooperation is the best one.”

Wesley remained silent, staring at the floor.

“That quick little mind is working right now,” Thomas remarked. “I can see it.”

Wesley shrugged.

Thomas smiled. Wesley was as cold as they come, but he could still recall how sweet and open he was when they’d first met. Thomas carried that with him for when Wesley was especially unresponsive. There had to be a way to crack him.

“You miss him,” Thomas said.

Wesley shrugged again, but then nodded, his expression softening.

“I’ll let you talk to him tonight,” Thomas said kindly, though he felt a dull throb of jealousy. 

Wesley glanced up, seeming apprehensive. “For what?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I have to do to?”

Thomas laughed shortly. “I’m being nice. I can be, you know. This is something I am doing for you, just because I can tell it would make you happy.”

“Like you care if I’m happy or not.”

“I do, actually. I care a great deal,” Thomas said honestly. “Deanna was my rock. She meant everything to me, and I thought I would never find anyone again who I’d put before everything else. But it seems… Well, I didn’t find you, but he did.” He paused. “And, well, I trust his judgment, if nothing else.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Wesley scoffed.

“Yeah,” Thomas said soberly. “You’re right.”

A silence hung between them like a thick sheet.

“That’s the thing, though,” Wesley murmured. “Will doesn’t put me before everything else. His career is still number one. When he… When he left, we were both so overworked, so tired. At each other’s throats. When you did that in there, on the bridge. When you stood up for me, I’ve never felt anything like it before. Not even when Will and I first got together.”

“That’s too bad,” Thomas replied., surprised at the glimpse into Wesley and his Riker’s relationship.

“I’m not saying I liked it,” Wesley said sharply. “It was seriously unprofessional and Will and I made an agreement to never give each other special treatment while on duty. Understand?”

Thomas shrugged. “I just know what Klingons are capable of.”

“Not Mr. Worf.”

“Well, now I know. See, these are the things you’re supposed to help me out with,” Thomas said with a half-smile. “But you can’t blame me for wanting to rescue you in distress, especially with those pretty eyes.”

Wesley sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides. “I’m tired,” he said again. “Promise me I can talk to him tonight?” He looked hopeful, almost like his sweet self again.

Jealousy stabbed at Thomas again. “I promise.”

Wesley gave him a suspicious look. “All right. Permission to be dismissed?”

Thomas hesitated, and said lightly, “Already right back to work? Don’t you want to stay here and relax for a minute?”

“No,” Wesley said flatly. “See you on the bridge, sir.”

Thomas watched him go. He stretched out his legs and chewed on a fingertip, deep in thought, watching the door where Wesley had just disappeared. He could feel the weight of the tablet in his pocket, the very thing that connected him to Will Riker. 

He admitted to himself, he was extremely attracted to Wesley Crusher. It had been almost instant, the attraction. He was moved by Wesley’s tunnel-vision towards his Riker, his devotion, even though it seemed they had not been connecting lately. Thomas could remember being loved like that, once.

He sighed and stood, preparing to return to his duties on bridge. He hadn’t expected coming on board, commandeering a ship, a life, and wanting to romance a young ensign. It was a tall order but if the other Riker could do it, Thomas certainly could, too.


	3. Chapter 3

“What did you do today?” Wesley asked softly, cradling the tablet in his arms for maximum privacy.

Will’s blue eyes, tired, blinked back at him from the screen. “I don’t know. I tried to read, I think. I slept through most of it. I don’t know.”

Wesley frowned, pulling the tablet closer. “Did you explore? Are there any… any hints or clues, as to where you might be?”

“I’ve been all over this place,” Will replied. “There’s nothing.”

“You can’t hear anything… smell anything?” Wesley asked. “Can you feel anything? A humming, a buzzing, a…”

Will shook his head. “I’m sorry, babe.”

“Don’t you apologize to me,” Wesley said, his voice thick. He felt a tug at the back of his throat, and he swallowed hard. “I can’t even listen to that.”

Will was quiet for a moment. “Maybe you should consider telling someone.”

Wesley shook his head. “You know the consequence.”

“I’ve been trained to realize when sacrifice is necessary.”

Wesley’s mouth dropped. “No.”

Will’s eyes drifted away, and he said nothing.

“I will figure this out,” Wesley promised.

Will looked at him again and sighed. “I can’t ask you or anyone else to put themselves in danger.”

Wesley glanced over at Thomas quickly. “I think maybe… I think I can handle it.”

“That sounds dangerous. And I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“I can’t help that,” Wesley said. “If I don’t do what he says, you suffer.”

“So I suppose you’ve been behaving,” Will said dully. “I don’t even want to know what that means.”

“It means nothing,” Wesley hissed, feeling a pang of guilt over his first encounter with Thomas. His cheeks flushed and he looked away from Will. “It’s nothing.”

“Please, Wesley. He’s the same person as me. Any version of me would fall in love with you.”

“Can we not fight?” Wesley asked, softening. 

“I’m not fighting, I just…” Will rubbed at his forehead. “I can usually come up with a solution. I can’t, this time. I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t see anyone all day, not even a shadow. I can’t figure this out.”

“I will,” Wesley said firmly.

“Wrap up,” Thomas called from the other side of the room.

Will’s face clouded over. “If I ever get out of here-”

“Don’t,” Wesley said quickly. 

“I never dreamed he’d go this far. Steal everything that’s mine.”

“Not everything,” Wesley assured him.

“He’ll try,” Will said with a frown. “If he hasn’t already.”

Wesley blushed again, but shook his head quickly. “Babe, I’m so sorry… for the past few months, I’m just sorry. We’ve been working too hard, we haven’t had time-”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Will said. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Wesley pouted. “That’s what you always say.”

“You said no fighting,” Will said tiredly.

“I’m not,” Wesley almost snapped. It was the same old conversation. He couldn’t believe it was happening at a time like this. “Maybe you could listen to me instead of just pushing it off until later.”

Will sighed, nodded. “You’re right. Let’s talk.”

“No time,” Wesley said with regret, as he glanced at Thomas again. Thomas had an impatient expression and Wesley knew he was pushing his luck. “I gotta go.”

“Let me talk to him,” Will said angrily.

“Probably not a good idea,’ Wesley said, nervous. “Remember what he said.”

“I don’t care. Let me talk.”

“I care,” Wesley said thickly. “I’m not letting you.”

“Listen to him” Thomas added loudly. “It’s not a good idea.”

Wesley winced, and Will stood and walked away from the camera for a moment. Wesley looked at Thomas helplessly.

“I’m not going to let you talk to him a few times a week if all you’re going to do is fight,” Thomas said.

“We’re not fighting,” Wesley said heatedly. “It’s because of you and your bullshit plan to-”

“Wes,” came Will’s voice from the tablet. “Enough.”

Wesley looked at the screen. Will was back, looking calmer.

“Hi,” Wesley said quietly, and suddenly he felt so helpless he shook. “Will, I don’t know…”

“We’ll figure it out,” Will said very softly. “Now go. Do what he says.”

“I love you,” Wesley said lowly, barely audibly, and Will nodded, mouthing the words, too.

Thomas walked over to took the tablet, wiping the screen blank and slipping it in his pocket. He swung a long leg over a chair, like Wesley had seen Will do countless times, and sat next to Wesley.

“That sounded tense,” Thomas remarked.

Wesley turned away.

“It it supposed to be that hard to talk to the person you love?” Thomas asked. “Just curious.”

“It’s not hard,” Wesley replied. “And this isn’t your business.”

“You don’t have to pretend,” Thomas said. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Yeah, right,” Wesley scoffed. “You’d never do anything shady, for sure.”

“Come on,” Thomas said plaintively. “What good does any of this silly drama between you and your boyfriend do for me?”

“Silly drama,” Wesley repeated.

“Yeah?”

“You kidnap and imprison Will, hold me hostage with Will’s life in balance for my good behavior, and you call it silly drama?” Wesley looked at Thomas in disbelief. Thomas might be different than Will, but at their core they were the same, and the Rikers were not stupid men. Reckless and impulsive, but not stupid. 

“No, but the stuff going on between you and your Riker is,” Thomas said. “I thought you loved each other.”

“I’m not talking about this,” Wesley mumbled.

“Shit, maybe you don’t really care about him,” Thomas said, eyes flashing. “Maybe I can just tell my friends to get rid of-”

“No!” Wesley cried out. His hand landed on Thomas’s arm and gripped, and they both looked down at the contact. Wesley didn’t remove his hand, but his fingers tensed and he looked at Thomas with entreating, wide eyes.

“Finally, some real emotion from you,” Thomas said lightly.

“Please don’t,” Wesley pleaded anxiously.

Thomas sighed. “I won’t do anything yet. The - my friends see him as a very valuable acquisition, you know.”

“He is,” Wesley said. “Priceless.” He quickly removed his hand from Thomas’s arm and folded his arms across his chest.

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Pretty impressive for a clone.”

Wesley just shook his head, eyes on the floor. 

“My dear, if only there hadn’t been a transport mishap all those years ago,” Thomas said with emotion. “Then I’d have your love and devotion, too.”

Wesley met his eyes and was startled for a moment at how easy it would be (and had been, frankly) to confuse this man for Will. What was the old saying - you caught more flies with honey? Wesley had been spitting vinegar at Thomas for days, and it had gotten him nowhere. As much as it disgusted him, he wondered if being sweeter to Thomas might help his cause.

He wondered if this was the kind of tactical thinking that Will would approve of. He doubted it.

“You don’t really care what I think,” Wesley tested, letting his arms relax. “It’s all about me keeping sweet so you can do whatever it is that you have to do. I’m just collateral damage.”

“Maybe,” Thomas replied. “But you’re awfully nice to look at.”

Wesley smiled, in spite of himself, and looked away. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Thomas said with a grin. “Was that so hard?”

Yes, thought Wesley, but he sat up straighter and looked at Thomas again. “I guess not.”

Thomas stared at him for a moment, suspicion flickering in his gaze. “Don’t get any ideas, Wesley Crusher. You don’t want to cross me.”

“Stop threatening me,” Wesley protested, trying his hardest to sound playful. “I’m aware of what you’re capable.”

“Good.” Thomas’s shoulders seemed to relax.

“You know,” Wesley began, choosing his words very carefully. “I had a really great time when we, um, first met. You know. When I didn’t know-”

“Yeah, you thought I was him,” Thomas cut in. “That was the plan.”

“I guess I did.” Wesley tilted his head. “But I knew something was different. WIll and I, we… I mean, we do that a lot, what you and I did,” he stumbled, flushed. “But with you…”

Thomas was quiet for a moment. Wesley could see the gears turning in his mind, those tactical gears that Wesley adored so much, always one or two steps ahead.

“Pretty excellent, right?” Thomas asked with a cocky grin.

Wesley nodded quickly, his ears burning. “I could… I guess I could be nicer. To you.”

“What’s in it for you?”

Wesley knew he was walking on a minefield. He wished he could ask Will for advice.

On second thought, no. He didn’t wish that.

“This ship is my home,” Wesley said. “My family is here. It’s in my best interest to help you, make sure the ship runs smoothly.” He paused. “Some of us still care about Starfleet.”

Thomas laughed.

“And if I can make you happy and comfortable in any way…” The words tasted bitter on Wesley’s tongue.

Thomas rolled his eyes. “You should’ve stopped with the Starfleet propaganda. Let’s just leave it at that for now, okay?”

“Don’t you trust me?” Wesley asked, putting in place the little pout that always drove Will crazy.

Thomas’s expression went cold. “No. But I do trust that you are a competent, smart officer and you’re a valuable asset to me. Everyone else trusts you; that’s all I need.”

“Okay,” Wesley said lightly, and he stood. “I’m going to go visit my mother.”

“Fine,” Thomas agreed. “Just remember that as captain, with my clearance, I can listen in through your combadge whenever I want.”

Wesley made a face. “What?”

Thomas shrugged. “Food for thought.”

Wesley gave him a hateful look and then left the quarters.

 

***

 

He wouldn’t, of course. Thomas had a plan but he did not need to spy on Wesley. He knew that just planting that seed of possibility in the ensign’s head was enough.

Thomas glanced at the time and realized he was due on the bridge for duty in ten. He checked the mirror, approved, and then strode out of his quarters down the now-familiar corridors.

He chuckled to himself at Wesley’s transparent tactics. So, the kid would try to wiggle in and seduce him? Thomas would have to be on his guard. He felt a powerful attraction to Wesley Crusher and it would be very hard to deny his advances.

It was a fun game, though. Thomas could work with it. Keep Wesley under his thumb, let him think he was reaching for the brass ring, and then cut him off.

Maybe. If Wesley used that pout again, things would get difficult.

 

***

 

“How’s Will?” Beverly asked her son as she poured tea for the two of them. “I haven’t seen him much lately.”

“Busy,” Wesley said quickly. “Duty round the clock.”

“Making time for you, I hope,” Beverly replied with a smile.

“Yeah. It’s fine.”

Beverly frowned. “Are you okay, honey?”

Wesley sighed lightly and then forced a relaxed smile. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Well, you’re a real officer now,” Beverly said wistfully. “I can’t hound Jean-Luc or Will about working you too hard anymore.”

“Don’t,” Wesley said, offering another smile. “It’s bad enough you and I work together.”

Beverly rolled her eyes. “Then why did you fight tooth and nail to be stationed here?”

“You know why,” Wesley said with a blush.

“You take the good with the bad,” Beverly said, and she cuffed Wesley gently on the shoulder. “Ungrateful son.”

Wesley raised his mug in a “cheers” fashion.

“What’s been going on with you two, though?” Beverly went on. “I mean, you only just moved in together a little over a month ago. Hoping to see each other more. How’s that going?”

“Yeah, um.” Wesley wanted to confide in his mother so badly. The words itched at his throat, and he glanced down at his combadge. He pictured Will, alone in that room, somewhere in the universe.

“It’s perfect,” he finished, and tried to hide the distress in his eyes.

Beverly nodded. “Are you convincing me, or yourself?”

“Mom, come on,” Wesley said. “I told you it’s fine, and it is. I can’t help that we’re both overworked and tired all the time, especially with Captain Picard and Counselor Troi being absent.”

“Just making sure you’re okay.”

She’s good, Wesley thought. “I am.”


	4. Chapter 4

When Thomas returned to his quarters later that night, going on mid-early-morning, he was surprised to see all the lights off. He peered in and saw Wesley asleep, not on the couch but in the bed. Thomas quirked a smile and walked in, the door sliding shut behind him. He took off his combadge and laid his tricorder on the table, right next to Wesley’s.

He walked over to the bed and stared down at the younger man. He looked peaceful, for once. While awake, Wesley’s entire being was tense and ready to strike. It was nice to see him, disarmed, a sleeping kitten.

“Wesley,” Thomas whispered, and Wesley shifted in his sleep. He rolled over, but not awake. Thomas brushed a lock of hair off Wesley’s forehead and sighed.

His back already ached at the thought of sleeping on the couch. One night wouldn’t hurt, he guessed, and Wesley looked so comfortable. Thomas realized the kid probably hadn’t had a restful night of sleep in days.

Wesley shifted again, and his eyes opened. He looked at Thomas, blinking slow, still so feline. “Hi,” he said softly.

“Go back to sleep.”

“No, I’m awake - your back, the couch will destroy it-” Wesley sat up and stretched.

“Stay,” Thomas said. “I’ve slept on much worse.”

“Yeah, but.” Wesley scooted to one side of the bed. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I was sort of waiting up for you.”

“Really.” Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Wesley shrugged slowly. “I don’t really know.”

“All right, then.”

“How was the bridge?” Wesley asked. His voice was raspy with sleep and Thomas wanted to devour him right there.

“It was fine,” Thomas replied. “Uh, why do you ask?”

“It’s conversation.”

“Right,” Thomas said. “So, I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

“Why?”

“Well, you’re not budging.”

“I don’t have to,” Wesley said, eyes sleepy. “It’s a big bed.”

“Right,” Thomas repeated. “And you want to, what? Sleep together?”

Wesley nodded.

“I don’t know,” Thomas said warily. “It sounds like a bad idea.”

“I won’t try anything stupid,” Wesley said dully. “You’ve terrified me enough not to even think of it.”

Thomas wasn’t sure if he had quite broken the kid’s spirit, but he did seem sincere.

“Will would just go back to the bridge and work until morning rather than have to sleep on that couch,” Wesley added.

Thomas let out a short laugh. “Me too.”

“So, what will it be? Keep Mr. Data company on the bridge, or sleep on a bed designed precisely, down to every last millimeter and molecule, for your comfort?”

“You’re very convincing,” Thomas said, heat pooling in his groin. “Are you included in those metrics?”

“I’m tired,” Wesley replied. “Just lie down. I don’t care.”

He lay back down, curling away from Thomas, covers pulled up over his bare shoulders. Thomas licked his lips thoughtfully. He’d keep the tablet and phaser right next to him, though he was pretty confident he could fight Wesley off with his hands. Did he want to fight him off, though? Thomas didn’t, but he was still very suspicious of Wesley’s sudden change of heart.

Thomas took off his clothes, making sure the necessary items were right next to him, and gingerly eased into the bed. Wesley turned his head and peered over his shoulder at Thomas.

“Good choice,” was all he said.

Thomas put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. It was a comfortable bed, especially with a slender warm body next to him.

“Did he ever tell you about the bunk bed in Alaska?” Thomas said, breaking the silence.

Wesley rolled over again, onto his other side, so he faced Thomas. “No.”

“I - We… I had a bunk bed, growing up,” Thomas said. “Wooden, creaky. My dad built it. I fell off the top bunk more times than I can count. It’s how I lost most of my baby teeth.”

Wesley snickered. “That sounds painful.”

“It was. Lots of bloody noses and fat lips that had to heal at regular pace,” Thomas said. “Broken bones. Well, just two. Elbow and shoulder. I went face down every time.”

“That’s not how you hurt your back, though,” Wesley said.

“No, that was at the Academy,” Thomas said. “I assume you know that story.”

Wesley nodded, an odd expression on his face. “Well, he told me… but it was also you. It happened to you both.” He paused. “I mean, it happened to you.”

Thomas could feel Wesley’s eyes on him, making his skin crawl pleasantly. “I was very reckless.”

“You still are.”

“I still am, as in me? Or both of us?”

“You… You’re both reckless,” Wesley said.

Thomas just sighed, long and heavy. “I knew he couldn’t have changed that much. It’s not in my nature. Or ours, I suppose.”

“Tell me more about Alaska,” Wesley said quietly.

Thomas looked over at the younger man. “You probably know most of it.”

“Just tell me.”

“I tried to have a secret racoon pet for a while,” Thomas began, and Wesley laughed. “Don’t know this one?”

“No.”

“I named him Steve, after Captain America.”

Wesley’s eyes glowed. “I never knew that. Who’s Captain America? What starship did he command?”

 

***

 

Wesley stood at the main computer in Engineering and oversaw a test-run of one of the newly designed mini-photon torpedoes. It was important; it required his full attention, but his mind wandered anyway.

He’d been talking to Thomas. Picking his brain. Gathering memories and insights from his past that Will had never shared. Wesley did it because he was curious, and also because it kept his mind off the hostage situation he was currently in. He was amazed at how little he knew about Will’s past. Of course, he knew the important things, but he was hearing for the first time all the little quirks and minor life events from Thomas.

Wesley longed for Will. He was still nowhere closer to figuring out how to save him. On the other hand, Thomas was flourishing as captain of the Enterprise. He’d picked up on the minor nuances in the relationships Will had with his fellow officers, and he captained the ship like he was born to do so.

Wesley was worried. Really worried. Unless he could figure out how to get Will back to him, he could see this going on for a long, long time.

“Ensign Crusher, where’s your head?” Geordi La Forge said, smiling and shaking his head. He tapped a few commands into the computer panel and folded his arms. “You let two of those babies fly away from their targets and disappear.”

“Sorry, sir,” Wesley said quickly. “It won’t happen again.”

“Something on your mind?” Geordi peered at him through the visor and Wesley shook his head slowly.

“Nothing, sir. Just… Could use a vacation,” Wesley said.

“You and me both. Ever since the Admiral Assassinations, with the captain being gone, I haven’t gotten more than a break to get some sleep. All hands on deck,” Geordi agreed. “But Commander Riker is doing a pretty good job as captain. Maybe we’ll all get to relax sooner rather than later.” He frowned, watching the interface. “Not until we perfect these mini torps, though. Certainly not until the climate holds less assassination attempts of high ranking officers. Thank god I wasn’t promoted lately.”

Wesley made a face. “So far it’s just been Admirals. Two dead, one attempt.”

“That’s more than enough for me to change my ambitions,” Geordie said with a wink.

“I hope Captain Picard isn’t a target, being interim Admiral and all.”

“Hard to say, without knowing who’s behind it or their endgame.”

“Mm,” Wesley agreed, eyes trailing to the interface again. The mini torpedoes were hitting all their targets ruthlessly. “That’s better.”

“Hey, why don’t you take five? I’ll keep an eye on this and you can go clear your head for a little while,” Geordi said, clapping Wesley on the shoulder. “Come back when you’re good and focused.”

“Thanks,” Wesley said gratefully.

He wandered out of Engineering and paused in the hall. He wasn’t tired enough for a nap. He wasn’t hungry. Maybe just a change of scenery…

He found himself walking to the bridge, and when he arrived on deck, his eyes landed on Thomas, looking devastatingly handsome and captain-like, and flashing a brilliant smile at him.

“Ensign Crusher,” he said, and gestured for Wesley to come closer. “To what do we owe the honor?”

“Just taking a break from Engineering for a minute,” Wesley said. “Anything I can do?”

“No, no,” Thomas replied, landing a hand on Wesley’s shoulder and squeezing. “I have a feeling you were told to take a break and I won’t go against those orders.”

Wesley smiled and rolled his eyes, allowing Thomas to pull him a little closer, trail his hand down to the small of his back for a moment, before pulling away. “Mr. Data,” Wesley greeted the android.

“Hello,” Data replied, his tone official as he sat behind the controls. “How are you today, Ensign Crusher?”

Wesley stole a glance at Thomas, whose eyes were burning into him, not unpleasantly.

“I’m good,” Wesley said, and their eyes met again. “Better now,” he added, just to see how Thomas would react.

Thomas nodded, expression noncommittal. 

“Maybe we could talk, for a minute?” Wesley said quietly.

Thomas glanced around the bridge, then nodded again. “Data, the bridge is yours.”

“Aye, sir.”

Thomas ushered Wesley into the ready room and sat behind the desk. He looked at Wesley expectantly.

“I just wanted to be alone for a minute,” Wesley said.

“With me?” Thomas gave a half-smile. “What’s on your mind, Ensign Crusher?”

Wesley bit at his lip, creeping closer to the desk. “Can I talk to him tonight?”

“No,” Thomas said. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“I just want to see him.”

Thomas looked impatient, and sat back in his chair. “For what purpose? I can assure you he’s just as you saw him last.”

“Because I care about him.”

“Convince me.”

Wesley frowned. “How? You know we-”

“Yes, yes,” Thomas interrupted. 

“Don’t be mad that I want to see him just because you’re jealous,” Wesley said pointedly, and he immediately wished he hadn’t.

Thomas’s expression clouded over. “You’re dismissed.”

“No,” Wesley said, and he walked behind the desk. “You said I could talk to him a few times a week.”

“So I can listen to you two fight again?”

“You don’t have to listen. Don’t you think if there was a way out, I would have acted already?”

“There will come a time you won’t be able to see him at all. Maybe start preparing for that,” Thomas said coldly.

“You wouldn’t do that to me,” Wesley replied. “He’s more valuable to you alive than dead.”

“I disagree,” Thomas said. “And what makes you think I’ll kill him? I’m toying with the idea of stranding him on a deserted planet for eight years, like I was.”

“I’d find him.”

“No one found me.”

“Because no one had a reason to look for you!” Wesley said, exasperated. “You won’t stop being so angry until you realize that. You know?”

“I forgot you were the expert,” Thomas said snidely. “You’re dismissed.”

“No,” Wesley said again.

Thomas nodded slowly, then reached out to take one of Wesley’s hands. Wesley watched as he stroked a finger across his palm, and he shivered.

“Five minutes,” Thomas said. “Right now.”

Wesley curled his fingers over Thomas’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

Thomas took out the tablet and tapped the passcode in. A few seconds later, Will’s room came into view. He slid the tablet across the desk and Wesley took it.

“Will,” Wesley called out, eyes on the tablet. “Come here.”

It was a full minute before Will shuffled into view, clear that he had just woken up.

“Noodle,” Will said lightly, using the affectionate nickname he had given Wesley a couple years ago.

“Talk to me,” Wesley said softly.

Will sat in front of the screen and stretched, his hair sticking up at odd angles, his beard untamed. “How are you? What’s happening?”

“Nothing. I’m fine,” Wesley said. “How are you? Are you okay?”

Will let out a heavy sigh and looked around his room. “Losing some sanity.”

“Don’t,” Wesley said. “You look great.”

Will let out a short laugh. “Thank you. You’re not too bad yourself.”

Wesley grinned, laid a finger on the screen as if to touch Will’s face. “I miss you.”

“I miss you. Are you sure you’re okay? He hasn’t done anything to you?”

Wesley shook his head. “I’m just making sure that the ship is running smoothly, and-”

“Wrap it up,” Thomas cut in sharply. “Since your hands are so full running the ship.”

Wesley tossed a nasty look at Thomas, and Will looked concerned. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Wesley murmured.

“I will worry about it,” Will said warily.

“The ship is in good hands,” Wesley said quickly. “I’m fine. He wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Will asked suspiciously.

Thomas started laughing, loud and mirthful.

“Because I’m useful,” Wesley said firmly.

“Very useful,” Thomas added.

“Stop it,” Wesley told him. He looked back at Will, who looked crushed. “Will, no. It’s nothing.”

“Okay,” Will said, looking unsure.

“I love you,” Wesley said, but as he said it, his eyes flickered to Thomas. Thomas caught his eye and winked.

“I’m tired,” Will said. “I haven’t been sleeping.”

Wesley looked back at WIll. “Go sleep. I promise you, I’ll…”

“Just watch out for yourself,” Will said. “Since I can’t be there to do it.”

“I never stop thinking about you.”

“Yeah.” Will rubbed behind his neck, eyes down. “Me, too.”

“Don’t be mad.”

Will looked up. “Sure.”

Thomas stood. “That’s enough,” he said, and he flicked off the tablet and slipped it back in his pocket.

Wesley slumped down in a chair, staring at the floor.

“Did it make you feel better?” Thomas asked gently.

“No.”

Thomas put a hand on Wesley’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

He left the ready room, leaving Wesley alone. Wesley leaned forward, grabbed a relic of an ancient idol that sat on Picard’s desk, and hurled it against the wall with full force. It shattered, left a dent in the wall, and Wesley swore loudly.

It was a few minutes before he walked onto the bridge again, cool and composed, and left without a word or a glance at Thomas.

 

***

CHAPTER FIVE

Thomas looked up from where he sat reading in his quarters as Wesley trudged in wordlessly. The younger man went to the kitchen counter, facing away from Thomas, and stood for a few moments.

“Hi,” Thomas offered.

Wesley turned around and glared. “Hi.”

“What’s the matter?”

Wesley paced a few steps, wringing his hands. “Just…” He stopped and rubbed at his forehead, eyes bleary. “Just… nothing. It’s nothing. I can’t say anything, I can’t piss you off, I can’t talk to anyone about what I’m feeling. So, it’s nothing.”

“Uh-huh,” Thomas said.

“God!” Wesley looked Thomas in the eye, and Thomas decided not to mess with him. The kid was frazzled enough. “Maybe just leave me alone tonight.”

“I leave you alone most nights,” Thomas said. “I’m a perfect gentleman.”

“Not what I mean,” Wesley snapped. “Just don’t antagonize or tease me or get in my head. I’m tired.”

“Fine,” agreed Thomas. “You’re the one who barged in on me, I’ll remind you.”

“I live here!”

“So make yourself at home and try to relax.” Thomas closed his book and leaned back on the couch. “No one’s stopping you.”

“Are you really just that…. Nevermind,” Wesley said. “I’m going to take a shower.”

He stalked out of the room, to the bathroom, and Thomas shook his head, amused. He liked riling Wesley up, but he didn’t exactly want to hurt the younger man. He was very, very fond of him. Thomas heard the water turn on and he opened his book again.

But he couldn’t concentrate. He felt bad about messing with Wesley this time. Why was that? Thomas didn’t know. He stood and walked to the bathroom door. It was ajar.

“You know, I’m not trying to make this hard for you,” Thomas called into the room. “I’m sorry if I was a jerk. It wasn’t my intention.”

Silence rang out from the bathroom, and Thomas sighed.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” Thomas murmured, and he pushed the door open some more.

He wasn’t exactly trying to be sneaky, but the water was loud and Wesley had not yet noticed that there were now two people in the room. He had his back to Thomas and stood underneath the shower stream, nothing between them except a pane of glass.

Thomas gazed at the younger man’s body appraisingly. Yes, he remembered every sharp angle and curve of that one. Nothing wrong with those tiny dimples above that pert ass. Wesley’s whole body was flushed from the hot water, and Thomas began to feel some heat, himself.

“Hey,” Thomas said lightly, and Wesley flinched. He peered over his shoulder and looked at Thomas, but he didn’t react. His eyes were wide and wet, his nose red. “I can leave, I just - I wanted to apologize.”

Wesley nodded once, eyes trained on Thomas’s face.

“I was a jerk,” Thomas said. “No, I am a jerk.”

Wesley scoffed, but there was a hint of amusement on his face.

“And if it helps, you look outrageously beautiful right now,” Thomas added. “I can’t, uh… I can’t take my eyes off you.”

Wesley’s eyes peeled away, his hair flattened against his forehead by the shower stream. He folded his arms and hugged himself.

“I can leave,” Thomas repeated.

Wesley shrugged.

“Or I can stay?” Thomas tilted his head, feeling himself harden.

Wesley switched off the shower and shook his hair out. He turned, displaying his magnificent, slender body to Thomas, opened the shower door, and reached for a large towel. He lingered before wrapping himself up, and Thomas wondered why.

“Just take me to bed,” Wesley said tiredly.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. 

“To sleep.” Wesley gave Thomas a look, and they walked out of the bathroom together. Thomas placed a hand on the small of Wesley’s back and guided him to the bed. He lifted the covers and let Wesley crawl underneath, still wrapped up in the towel.

Thomas felt lust coursing through every tendon in his body. He was on his guard, but he was also only human. If Wesley was insincerely seducing him for some unknown gain, Thomas thought he could live with that. He’d just be careful not to say or do anything stupid.

He walked to the other side of the bed and sat. “Get in” Wesley said.

They’d slept together for a few nights, but this was the first time Thomas felt like Wesley had invited him there. He made quick work of his uniform (carefully tucking the tablet in a safe place nearby) and slid into bed with Wesley.

“Computer, lights off,” Wesley murmured, and the room went dark. Thomas could still see Wesley’s features and, thank god, most other details.

Thomas felt his cock harden painfully and he turned to face Wesley, found his eyes in the darkness. He wondered if he should have preempted and gotten completely naked, as Wesley was.

“This is really bad, what you’re doing,” Wesley said, his voice ragged. “It’s unforgivable, and I’m really scared and angry. I’m out of my mind worried and I don’t know what to do. I should hate you.” He frowned, forehead creased. “But you’re all I have of Will right now, and I want to be close to him.”

Thomas studied Wesley’s face. He looked scared and alone, and Thomas felt guilty that he had been the cause of it. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Don’t say that,” Wesley replied.

“But I mean it,” Thomas said, and he pulled Wesley toward him, his lips landing on the crook of Wesley’s neck and kissing the warm skin there. Wesley went limp in Thomas’s hold and his head fell back, exposing his long neck and throat. Thomas pressed a line of kisses down to his collarbone and shuddered with pleasure.

Thomas smoothed a hand over Wesley’s shoulders, moving down over his chest, to his soft belly. Wesley wiggled out of the towel and dropped it on the floor, and turned to face Thomas.

Thomas bowed his head to kiss Wesley’s lips, but Wesley pulled away. “I can’t,” he said.

“But…” Their bodies found each other under the covers, and Thomas felt Wesley’s nakedness against his skin. 

“I can’t,” Wesley said again, his lips close to Thomas’s ear.

“He’ll never find out,” Thomas said, a touch of desperation in his voice. He slid a leg between Wesley’s thighs and Wesley sighed. “I’ll never tell him. Scout’s honor. I was a Boy Scout, you know. Eagle Scout, actually.”

A flash of a smile “No, I didn’t know that. And I don’t care if you don’t tell him. I’ll know.”

“Listen, kid,” Thomas said lowly as he pressed a hand against the small of Wesley’s back, pinky finger caressing just below. “The damage is done, you know. We’ve already past the point of no return. You let me inside you.”

“I didn’t let you inside, I let Will inside,” Wesley protested.

“It was me,” Thomas said to him. “And it was good.”

“Yes, good,” Wesley agreed as Thomas’s hand slid down to palm his ass.

“So what do you say?” Thomas nibbled at Wesley’s collarbone and felt Wesley’s arms encircle his waist. “No harm done. We’ll just keep the bed warm.”

Their eyes met, and Wesley’s mouth parted slightly. He nodded once. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, okay.”

Thomas grinned and leaned in for the kiss.

“Captain Riker to bridge,” piped up Data’s voice from his combadge. “It is urgent.”

Wesley sighed and pulled back, and Thomas wondered at the android’s despicable timing.

“Answer,” Wesley murmured.

Thomas groaned loudly and rolled over, hands flying to grab his uniform shirt. He sat up and tapped the combadge.

“This is Captain Riker,” he said, eyes still glued to Wesley’s face. “What is the nature of this urgent matter?”

“Sir, we have had a late night transport,” Data said. “Counselor Troi has just beamed onboard and is requesting to speak with you.”

Wesley drew in a sharp breath, and Thomas shook his head. “I’m sorry, Deanna is here?”

“Requesting to speak with you at your earliest convenience, sir.”

“I’ll be… I’ll be there very soon. Thank you, Commander,” Thomas said quickly, and he dropped the uniform shirt.

Wesley sat up as well, his expression unreadable.

“Deanna,” Thomas said in a heavy voice.

“Yes,” Wesley said quietly. 

“This is… She’s going to know it’s me,” Thomas said, crestfallen. “She’ll… No one knows me better than her, and she’ll sense it’s me.”

Wesley was quiet for a few moments. “Maybe she won’t.”

Thomas got out of bed, stumbled a few steps, and began to pull on his clothes. “This is it,” he said in disbelief. “This is how it ends.”

“No,” Wesley said, looking fearful. 

Thomas looked at Wesley, flushed and beautiful in bed, and wanted to time travel to the moment before the combadge page. “I can’t trick her.”

“Yes, you can,” Wesley said. “Do you know how many times I’ve gotten her off my back just by, I don’t know, not letting her in my head? I was a moody teenager when I first met her. I never wanted to talk or let her try and figure me out.”

“It’s different with us,” Thomas said. 

“You can do this,” Wesley told him. “You can be stoic, and business-like, and professional. You’re the captain now.”

Thomas frowned.

“You’re nervous,” Wesley observed.

“Yeah.”

“Nervous that she’ll figure you out.”

“Nervous just to see her again, really.”

Wesley nodded slowly, pulling his knees to his chest. “You still love her.”

Thomas made a face. “It’s complicated.” He paused. “In fact, right now, at this very moment, it is very complicated.”

They stared at each other for a moment, and Thomas still couldn’t read Wesley’s expression.

“I’ll come with you,” Wesley said after a silence.

“You can’t come with… Well, maybe. Can you?” Thomas asked.

“Yes,” Wesley said. “I’ll distract her. I’ll… We’ll act like a couple. I’ll be very loving and devoted. I’ll throw her off the scent. We’ll make it seem like she just pulled us out of bed, which isn’t a lie.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Why would you do this for me?”

“You know why. And it’s not for you.”

That stung. “All right, Ensign Crusher, you’ve made yourself loud and clear.”

Wesley groaned. “Let’s just get through this.”

“And then continue where we left off?” Thomas gestured to the rumpled mess of sheets.

“I don’t know. We’ll see how you feel after talking to Counselor Troi,” Wesley said dryly.

Thomas almost laughed. Was that jealousy? If so, it looked good on Wesley. Very, very good.

“Let’s go, then,” Thomas said, pulling Wesley out of bed. “Get dressed.”

He smacked Wesley on the rear and Wesley cried out, sending a resentful look over his shoulder.

Thomas let out a shaky sigh. Deanna.


	5. Chapter 5

Wesley stood anxiously next to Thomas, curling his fingers at his side in the observation lounge. Thomas was visibly nervous and Wesley touched his forearm, giving him a reassuring look.

“Calm down,” Wesley murmured. “Will would never be nervous to meet with Counselor Troi.”

“Maybe in these circumstances he would be,” Thomas replied, his eyes darting around the room. “She transported here in the middle of the night, it’s got to be something. Should we sit? I don’t know if we should sit.”

“No,” Wesley said. “We’re fine.”

“She’s going to know.”

“Yeah, she will,” Wesley agreed. “If you keep acting that way. Be a man.”

Thomas shot him a dark look. “Enough from you.”

The door to the observation room opened and Counselor Deanna Troi stepped in, looking tired and distressed. She walked over to Thomas and gave him a hug, Thomas’s hands lingering against her back a little too long.

“Captain,” she said with a small smile. She stepped back and looked at Wesley. “Ensign Crusher, it’s nice to see you.”

“You too, Counselor,” Wesley replied, and they embraced lightly.

“You two are a breath of fresh air,” Troi said with a sigh. “I’ve been away too long.”

“How are things?” Thomas asked, taking on an official stance, hands behind his back.

“Oh, Will,” Troi said with a frown. “It’s not good. Captain Picard - well, Acting Admiral Picard, he is in need of some distance even more than I am.”

“And Admiral…” Thomas stumbled, glancing at Wesley.

“Admiral Legata, how is he?” Wesley asked, taking Thomas’s hand.

“Barely holding on. The attempt on his life was nearly fatal,” Troi said. “And we are no closer to finding out who is behind these attacks. Whoever it is, seems to have classified information and possibly even an inside man.”

“Someone is openly attacking Starfleet,” Wesley said slowly. He looked at Thomas, a flicker of suspicion in his eye. Thomas did hold contempt for Starfleet…

“Is Picard in any danger?” Thomas asked. He tightened his grip on Wesley’s hand.

“It’s hard to say. He’s under constant and rigid security,” Troi replied. “We aren’t taking any chances.”

“And what about… What about officers like me?” Thomas frowned. “Captains.”

“There have not so far been any reports on that. I understand that you’re working on new security and offensive tactics,” Troi said, and she looked at Wesley. “Is that true?”

“We’re doing all we can,” Wesley said honestly.

Troi shook her head and sat down at the table. “Whoever is behind this, they’re using sophisticated and illegal technology. They’re sneaking in undetected and claiming the lives of our own. We have the best minds in the galaxy working on this, but I can’t help feeling hopeless. They’ll wear down our infrastructure, little by little, until we dissolve into chaos and vulnerability.”

Wesley studied Thomas’s reaction. The older man looked thoughtful, introspective. Wesley stood closer to him, laid a hand on Thomas’s lower back.

Thomas looked at Wesley, startled.

“I think we should adjourn,” Thomas said. “This is a lot to take in.”

“Thank you for meeting with me so late, Will,” Troi said, standing from her chair. 

“How long are you staying?” Wesley asked her.

“I don’t know. I’d like to hold another meeting tomorrow,” Troi replied. “I’d like the other higher ranked officers there. Maybe with our heads together, we’ll figure out something.”

“Maybe.” Thomas smiled at her and touched her shoulder with his free hand. “It’s really good to see you, Deanna. Really comforting.”

Troi appeared surprised, and Wesley acted quickly.

“You must be exhausted,” he interjected.

“I am,” Troi said, her eyes still on Thomas. “I’ll be more alert tomorrow. I think I will actually be able to sleep tonight.” She yawned, and laughed shortly. “I’m so tired I can’t even sense how you both feel about this.”

“Who needs to?” Wesley said airily. “It’s a terrible situation.”

“I’ll be along, then,” Troi said. “Good night, you two.”

“Good night, Deanna,” Thomas said. “If there’s anything you need, just contact me. I’ll be there right away.”

Wesley squeezed Thomas’s hand hard, and the older man winced.

“Of course,” Troi replied. “The same applies for you both. Good night.”

She left the room, and Thomas stared after her. Wesley let go of his hand and folded his arms, frowning.

“I should have said more,” Thomas said softly.

“No, you were fine.” Wesley glared at the older man. “She didn’t suspect a thing. You might not be so lucky tomorrow when she’s well-rested.”

“Hm? Oh, right,” Thomas agreed. “She hasn’t changed at all.”

“She looks older, to me,” Wesley said bluntly. He frowned again; why was he feeling this way? Why should he care if Thomas still had feelings for Counselor Troi? He recognized the nasty little feeling in the pit of his belly as jealousy, and it made him angry.

“Well, not everyone is as young as you are,” Thomas said vaguely. 

“What does that even mean?”

Thomas looked at Wesley, as if noticing him in the room for the first time. “Oh, nothing. You’re right, though. I don’t think she suspected.”

“Let’s go,” Wesley said moodily.

They walked out of the observation deck, and Thomas kept his hands to himself. Wesley found himself wishing Thomas would touch him in some way, slap his ass, put a hand on his waist.

“You still love her,” Wesley restated, to fill the silence.

Thomas didn’t reply right away.

“I knew it,” Wesley murmured.

“I told you, it’s complicated,” Thomas said lowly. 

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because my heart belongs to someone else, and so does yours,” Wesley said firmly. 

“Don’t be dramatic. It was just nice to see her,” Thomas said impatiently. 

“Don’t talk to me,” Wesley snapped.

“Fine, I won’t talk.” Thomas took Wesley’s hand and pinned him against the wall, towering over him. Wesley stared at him, trying to betray no emotion. Thomas slid a hand down to Wesley’s waist and leaned in to kiss the younger man, but he stopped, just an inch from his lips.

“What are you doing?” Wesley asked petulantly.

“I won’t pursue Deanna, if it bothers you,” Thomas said, his breath hot against Wesley’s face.

“I don’t care what you do.”

“We both know that isn’t true.” Thomas circled his hands around Wesley’s hips and squeezed. Wesley’s body responded in kind, pressing forward. “See?”

“Cut it out,” Wesley said sharply. “What do you know about the assassination attempts?”

“Nothing.” Thomas’s lips grazed Wesley’s neck.

“Liar.”

“I promise you,” Thomas said. He pressed a few hot kisses to Wesley’s throat. Wesley felt that he couldn’t take it much more, and before, he’d been so ready to give in to Thomas’s advances. He allowed Thomas to litter his neck with kisses and licks, eyes closed, trying to ignore the stab of guilt in his stomach.

Thomas pulled back and their eyes met. Wesley felt completely scrutinized down to the most minute detail, and it thrilled him. He sighed and leaned his forehead on Thomas’s chest.

“Let’s go,” Thomas said lightly. “If you’re serious about the couch, then I’ll take it. You need sleep. You’re exhausted.”

“And you’re not?”

“I’d rather you get the good night’s sleep,” Thomas told him.

Wesley let out a long breath and pulled away. He walked a few paces down the hall, then looked over his shoulder. “Come on.”

They walked in silence and Wesley tucked a hand in Thomas’s arm.

“I know I said I didn’t care,” Wesley murmured. “But please don’t go after Counselor Troi. This is hard enough.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Thomas replied, and he draped an arm around Wesley’s shoulder possessively as they returned to their quarters.

 

***

 

Thomas adjourned the meeting with Deanna and the other highly ranked officers, feeling confident. He had fooled everyone again, and this time with the woman who was half Betazoid, someone who had always been able to see into his very soul.

His plan was all going smoothly, except for one thing.

His tablet beeped as he entered his quarters, and he frowned. Before taking it out of his pocket, he looked around the room and checked the bathroom. He was alone.

When he tapped the tablet, a group of three Ferenghi stared back at him.

“Hello, friends,” Thomas said dully.

“Lieutenant Riker,” Zaka, the tallest of the three, replied. 

“How are you?” asked Thomas politely. He took a seat at the table and placed the tablet on the surface.

“Growing impatient,” Zaka said. “We had a deal, Riker.”

“I know we did.”

“He’s going to betray us, I told you,” hissed Froota, the female Ferenghi.

“Calm yourself,” Thomas said. “I’ve been more than cooperative.”

“You have not given us any intel in days,” Froota said angrily.

“I told you it wouldn’t be a daily report,” Thomas said calmly. “And I’ve given you so much already.”

“We are halted in our plan, Lieutenant,” chimed in Suracar, the third. “Unless you give us more information or blueprints for attack and defense procedures, we cannot plan another assassination attempt, nor can we continue to keep housing your brother.”

“He’s not my brother,” Thomas replied moodily. 

“And if we let Commander William Riker free…” Zaka shrugged. “Then it could be trouble for you. We hear he’s getting awfully angry and restless in there.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Thomas said. “Just give me some more time. And like I said, I’ve already given you so much.”

“Not enough,” hissed Froota.

“Then maybe you need to rethink your tactics,” Thomas told her. “I’d be happy to talk it over with you.”

“We don’t need you for advice,” said Zaka. “Just for insider Starfleet intel.”

Thomas looked away from the screen. He should never have gotten into bed with the Ferenghi. He blamed his desperation at the time, and true; they had been integral in his placement on the Enterprise (not to mention holding Will prisoner for the time being). Still, Thomas realized, there may have been another way. He did not want to be involved in their assassinations. He was in enough trouble.

“My friends,” Thomas said grandly. “You don’t need to worry. I will have a report so full of information tomorrow that you’ll feel you won the lottery.”

“See that you do,” replied Suracar. “We cannot hold your prisoner forever, and we can only continue our relationship with you as long as it is profitable to us.”

“I understand,” Thomas said, and he heard the door open. Wesley walked in and looked at Thomas curiously. “I need to go. We’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

“Do not disconnect,” Zaka demanded.

“Tomorrow,” Thomas said quickly, and he switched the tablet off and slid it back into his pocket. He smiled at the younger man and tried to relax his shoulders. “Ensign Crusher.”

“Who was that?” Wesley asked warily.

“Just tending to some business.”

“I thought that tablet only connected to Will. That didn’t sound like Will.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Thomas insisted.

Wesley kept his eyes on Thomas as he walked over to the couch and sat. “You have to be honest with me, if I have to cooperate with you.”

“Things are on a need-to-know basis,” Thomas said firmly.

“I need to know!”

“You don’t.” Thomas frowned. “And believe me, you don’t want to. I wish I didn’t.”

“Is this a… Is that how you got on board?” Wesley asked. “Do they have Will?”

“I really can’t tell you.” Thomas reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He lit up and took a long drag.

“Whatever,” Wesley murmured, and he leaned back on the couch. “Enjoy polluting your lungs.”

Thomas laughed. “Have one.”

“No way.”

“Come on, loosen up,” Thomas urged. “Just one.”

Wesley heaved a sigh and walked over to Thomas, and put out his hand. “Okay.”

Thomas placed another butt in his mouth and lit up the second. He then handed it to Wesley. “Inhale slowly.”

He watched Wesley place it between his lips and breathe in. He coughed slightly, and then exhaled the smoke out of his mouth and nostrils. “Woah.”

“Gross?”

“Not really gross, but weird.” He took another drag, this time without coughing, and breathed out the smoke with ease. “I think I got it.”

Thomas pulled from his own cigarette and shrugged. “There’s not much skill.”

Wesley hopped up to sit on the table, his knees close to Thomas, and Thomas rested a hand on his thigh. “Does it help that I wish I could tell you?” he asked.

Wesley let out another smoky breath and made a face. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything about your situation. Maybe you’re in danger, maybe you’re not. Maybe your hands are tied just as much as mine are.”

“Something like that,” Thomas said vaguely. “I, uh… I certainly had no other choice.”

Wesley scoffed at that. “Sure.”

Thomas’s hand slid up Wesley’s thigh and he squeezed, fingers brushing the line between leg and hip. “One thing’s sure, though. I’m glad I met you.”

Wesley stared at the ground, silently smoking down his cigarette. “To be honest, I really did want to meet you. Just… not like this.”

“I wasn’t really in a position to meet anyone.”

“I understand why you did what you did,” Wesley said. “With the Maquis. I don’t think it was terrorism. I don’t think you deserved life in prison, especially not a Cardassian labor camp.”

“I don’t think I would’ve done much better with a Federation trial,” Thomas said with a short laugh.

“Maybe not, but I think it would’ve been more fair. They basically forced you to sacrifice your life.” Wesley paused. “And if you’re anything like Will - which I see more of every day - I think it’s a decision you would have come to eventually, anyway.”

“Thank you,” Thomas said quietly. “You know, being here on the Enterprise and working with Starfleet again in a capacity that I enjoy… I’m not so angry, anymore.”

“But it isn’t your life,” Wesley said gently. “It’s Will’s.”

Thomas nodded slowly. “I didn’t really care about any of that until I saw how devoted you are to him. He built this, not me.”

Wesley bit his lip.

“Why couldn’t I do this?” Thomas asked. “I tried so hard after I got rescued but I couldn’t get it right.”

“You were angry.”

“I still am. I just don’t know if it’s at Starfleet anymore.”

Wesley put out his cigarette and moved over to Thomas, wrapped his arms around his shoulders and crawled into his lap. Thomas raised his eyebrows and allowed the younger man to wrap around him, lay his head on his shoulder, give him the closeness he’d missed for so many years.

“Do you want to talk to him?” Thomas asked, rubbing Wesley’s back. 

Wesley shook his head. “Not right now.”

Thomas pressed a light kiss to Wesley’s temple and leaned back. He didn’t know what was between them - there was something there - but he realized he didn’t really need to question it. What he needed was to think of a way out of this whole situation so that no one else got hurt.

 

***

 

A couple of days later, Wesley and Thomas were in one of the cargo rooms, taking quick inventory for an upcoming mission. Wesley sat atop an overturned crate, and Thomas stood nearby, surveying a box of atmosphere probes and entering information into a tablet.

“Ummm, high school dances,” Wesley said with a grin. “How many, with who, and how far did you get?”

Thomas leaned against one of the boxes and looked thoughtful. “I went to both of my proms,” he said. “And a fair amount of semi-formals. We had a couple of mixer-type formals for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. I can’t remember who I went to some of them with.”

“But you can remember some.”

Thomas nodded. “My senior prom was with my steady girlfriend Zoey. Can’t say I got far with her on prom night since we had already done everything there is to do before that,” he said with a wink. “Junior prom, I went stag with a group of buddies. We spent the night stealing other people’s dates, boys and girls.”

“No way.”

“Yeah,” Thomas said, laughing. “We broke up so many couples that night.”

“Mean.”

Thomas shrugged. “It was fun, we were young, we were stupid. I think I made out with six different people that night.”

“Okay, so how about… vacations? Family vacations,” Wesley said.

Thomas screwed up his face in thought. “Not too many worth mentioning. I guess you know I fell out with my dad pretty early on.”

“Vacations in general?”

“Loads,” Thomas said. “Traveling is the best thing you can ever do with your spare time, if you’re lucky enough.”

“Most interesting place?”

“The moons of Delphi XI, without a doubt,” Thomas answered automatically. “Great sports, great climate, excellent food, beautiful people. Also, the moons are close enough to each other so that you can see them all easily from any vantage point.”

“Favorite place?”

“Besides right here?” Thomas asked, winking at Wesley. “Ah… probably where I grew up, in Alaska. We could see the Northern Lights many times a year. It’s the closest you’ll get to space travel without actually boarding a ship.”

“Oh, the Aurora Borealis?” Wesley asked.

“Yes, nerd,” Thomas replied.

Wesley flushed, scooted closer to the older man. “Okay, big question. How many people have you slept with?”

Thomas feigned surprise. “You mean, he never told you?”

“I never asked.”

“You realize my number is probably much lower, considering I was a population of one for eight years,” Thomas pointed out.

“Tell me.”

“Wow, just in high school and the Academy…” Thomas trailed off. “It’s not a small number.”

“Double digits?”

Thomas chuckled. “Easily.”

Wesley looked at him expectantly.

“It’s not really considered debbonair to count these things.”

“But you did.”

Thomas smiled. “Fine. You win. I lost track after about sixty, seventy.”

Wesley’s eyes widened.

“I mean, it’s a rough guess,” Thomas added.

“Wow,” Wesley whispered.

“And you?”

“Oh, uh,” Wesley stumbled.

“Double digits?” Thomas teased.

Wesley made a face.

“Handful?”

“I don’t know…”

Thomas nodded. “You were really good at it. Maybe that’s natural talent, but I think you’ve been around, at least a little.”

Wesley felt his ears burn. “Yeah, a little.”

“How many before Will?” Thomas asked.

“Not many…”

Thomas smirked. “Tell me.”

“Three. Three before Will.” Wesley bit his lip.

Thomas stared at him for a long moment. “And that’s what you told him?”

“Yup.”

Thomas began to laugh. “I don’t believe you.”

“Well, he did!”

Thomas laughed even harder. “Wait, wait…”

“I was a virgin!” Wesley said hotly. “I told Will I wasn’t, but I was. And now my number is two. You and him. WIll was my first.” He shook his head, mortified. “Why did I even tell you that?”

Thomas’s laughter devolved into a chuckle, and he took Wesley in his arms. Wesley let himself be squeezed and carressed, and willed his ears to stop burning. He had never told that to anyone, especially Will. Will had been so careful with him, hadn’t wanted to overstep his boundaries or take advantage, and Wesley had assured him that he wouldn’t be the first to be intimate with him. It had been really important to Will, and now Wesley felt like he had exposed a great lie.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Wesley mumbled against Thomas’s shoulder. 

“Who would I tell?” Thomas pulled back and put a hand on Wesley’s face. “You’re too damn pure for this world.”

“That doesn’t mean I haven’t had a ton of experience since then,” Wesley protested.

“I believe it. I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you,” Thomas said. He looked down at his own hands, which were very much on Wesley. “See? I can’t.”

Wesley glowed happily, basking in the compliment. “Well, anyway. Thanks for not laughing too hard.”

“Come here,” Thomas said. He stepped right up to Wesley, still seated on the crate, and stood between Wesley’s spread thighs. He smoothed his hands down Wesley’s arms and leaned in close to Wesley’s face. “I won’t kiss you, because I know you don’t want to. But know that I really, really want to.”

Wesley’s lips parted and he gazed at Thomas’s freshly shaven face, his deep blue eyes, his lips.

“Earliest childhood memory,” Wesley managed to say.

Thomas smiled, nudged their noses together, and then pulled away.

“I wish I actually remembered my mom, but I don’t think I do,” Thomas said. “I don’t remember her funeral, or anything really like that. I do remember coming downstairs to see my dad crying, though. I didn’t let him see me, but I watched him for a long time. Being so young, I knew I was expected to feel sad. Everyone around me was sad. So I just remember watching my dad cry in his old armchair, and not saying anything, and I know it was because of her. I was probably three or so.”

Wesley touched Thomas’s arm. “I was five when my dad died. I don’t remember it, either.”

Thomas nodded. “Earliest memory?”

“It doesn’t make sense, since I don’t really remember his death, but I do remember playing baseball with him.”

Thomas smiled. “Were you any good?”

“The worst,” Wesley said with a laugh.

The mood between them was easy and light, familiar and comfortable. Wesley had never talked like this with Will, and it had never really occurred to him. They talked about the present and the future, but never the past. Wesley lapped up every detail from Will’s past like a cat with cream.

“Your secret is safe with me, you know,” Thomas said. “I won’t tell anyone… that you’re bad at baseball.”

Wesley playfully hit Thomas on the shoulder and Thomas caught his hand and kept hold.

“Worst memory?” Wesley prompted.

“Easy,” Thomas said. “Realizing and thinking Starfleet abandoned me on that hellhole of a planet.” He paused. “Or this, maybe.”

“This?” Wesley knit his brows.

“This doesn’t end well,” Thomas said, and Wesley suddenly felt a great distance between them. “And it might just be the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Wesley stayed quiet, but kept his eyes on Thomas’s face. Any carefree expression was gone now, and only a sober weight hung in the air.

“Next crate,” Thomas said, and Wesley hopped down to his feet to help with the rest of the inventory.


	6. Chapter 6

Will and Wesley stared at each other in silence. They had run out of things to say, three minutes in.

Wesley shifted in his seat and gazed longingly at the man he loved, who looked so broken and hopeless that it hurt to see. Will was always so confident and sure of himself. Now he looked as wretched as Wesley felt.

“Counselor Troi is leaving tomorrow,” Wesley mentioned. “She’s been here for about a week.”

“Oh,” Will replied. “Back to support Admiral Picard, I assume.”

“And everything else going on,” Wesley said.

“If she couldn’t sniff him out, then no one can.” Will shook his head, expression sullen. “Except maybe Picard, and he’s a little busy.”

“I’m sorry,” Wesley said softly. He felt personally responsible, like this entire time he had failed Will. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“I’m losing my mind, Wes,” Will said. “Do you know what that’s like? I feel like my brain is decaying. I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

“I’m real,” Wesley said vehemently. “You and I, we’re real.”

“It could just be another trick,” Will said warily.

Wesley shook his head.

“Look,” Will said quietly. “You need to tell someone. This has gotten way out of hand. We don’t know who he’s working with, what power and influence he has behind him. This runs much deeper than just trying to replace me, whether he realizes it or not.”

“I can’t…”

“I was trusted with the well-being and safety of the ship and everyone on board,” Will went on. “Sometimes that means sacrifice.”

“No!” Wesley protested loudly, and Thomas looked up with interest from the couch.

“You know Captain Picard would do the same,” Will said heavily.

“I don’t care what he would do. You might be at that point, but I’m not there yet,” Wesley said. “And I love you. I can’t just wipe you off the board like a useless pawn so that you can feel like a hero.”

“That is completely out of line-”

“No,” Wesley cut in. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that last part, but the thought of consciously putting your life in danger by telling someone… I can’t do that. You’ll have to find someone else.”

Will gave Wesley a disparaging look.

“I’m sorry,” Wesley said again lightly. “You’d better change the subject because I won’t agree to any of it.”

“Is he there?”

“Of course he’s here. Where else would he be?” Wesley met Thomas’s eye, and the older man smiled.

“I’ll kill him if I ever get out of here.”

Thomas chuckled.

“I think he’ll be in enough trouble,” Wesley said carefully.

“Has he tried anything with you? Touched you?” Will asked. His eyes were intense and Wesley felt naked. The truth was, Thomas’s advances had been much more mutual as of late.

“I’m okay,” Wesley said honestly.

“That didn’t answer my question.”

“I miss you,” Wesley told him, eyes wide. “I never stop thinking about you. I want more than anything to-”

“Okay,” Will said uneasily. “We’ll talk about all that later.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Wesley said, and he felt that was the truth. Once this whole situation was cleared up, life would resume as normal and a few caresses, touches, and one intense fuck from Thomas wouldn’t mean anything.

That’s what Wesley told himself.

“Wrap up,” Thomas said. “Maybe if we get to the bridge early we’ll be able to see Geordi chatting up that new Bajoran engineer again.”

Wesley snorted. He and Thomas had watched Geordi try and strike out three times already with the new junior engineer.

Will looked at Wesley in disbelief. “Something’s funny?”

Wesley wiped the smile off his face and glanced at Thomas, who was chuckling to himself.

“No, it’s-” Wesley panicked slightly. “It was nothing, you had to be there.”

This was the absolute wrong thing to say.

“See you later, Wesley,” Will said, and he walked away from the screen.

“Will, no,” Wesley pleased. “I didn’t mean to…”

Thomas walked over and disconnected the video. “Give him some time, he’ll get over it.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Wesley said with a frown.

“He’ll get over it,” Thomas repeated.

“Like you got over your hatred of Starfleet when you were alone for eight years?”

“No, it was because of those eight years alone that I came to hate Starfleet,” Thomas said. “Your Riker has had a few weeks by himself and he misses you. He’ll be fine.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Maybe not, but he’s got no other choice,” Thomas said lightly. 

“You’re so cold,” Wesley murmured. He felt Thomas’s hands on his shoulders, warm and strong, as if to contradict his statement.

He felt Thomas press a hot kiss to his neck and Wesley shivered slightly, responding to the gentle touch. He tilted his head so that his neck elongated, and Thomas slid his lips down to the collarbone.

“You’re evil,” Wesley said, but he didn’t quite feel it. He turned his head to look at Thomas, whose eyes were full of intent. Wesley ached for his touch, all over his body, and lips against his lips. He hated himself for wanting it, but he didn’t know how much longer he could hold out. This man in front of him was too much like Will, too attractive, too personally designed just for Wesley. Thomas was just right, if not perfect like Will was.

And Wesley started to wonder if being sweet to Thomas was for Will’s benefit, or for his own.

“We’ve got some time, if you want,” Thomas said, nodding toward the bed. “I could make you feel better.”

“And worse,” Wesley replied.

“Suit yourself,” Thomas said. He kissed Wesley on the forehead and walked to the door. “I’ll be on the bridge.”

“I’ll be there in a second,” Wesley told him. 

Thomas nodded and was out the door. Wesley let out a long, shaky sigh and slumped in his chair. It was time to admit it to himself. He missed Will with all his heart, but he wanted Thomas.

 

***

 

“All right, babe, so what you do when a situation like this arises,” Thomas said, pointing to a simulation on a computer, “is try to look at the problem from all sides. Try to get in your adversary’s head. The good, the bad, the unsure. You have to think like them, and try to outdo their next maneuver.”

“Is that what makes you so bad?” Wesley teased. “You think like the bad guy too much?”

Thomas smirked, and zoomed in on the simulation. “See, here? This is where an illegal cloaking device would come in handy. Since the Treaty of Algeron, everyone knows the Federation would never try it. Too much risk. However, I personally believe that there is a way to keep everyone happy.”

“You’re so concerned with that,” Wesley said with a winsome smile.

“No, not really,” Thomas said with a laugh. “Hardly at all, actually, except for a chosen few.” He tapped Wesley’s cheek. “The device that I worked on with Admiral Pressman on the Pegasus… it could have changed the Federation as we knew it.”

“Hm.” Wesley eased in his chair and smiled. He and Thomas were sitting in Ten-Forward, having a drink and going over some old tactical maneuvers that Thomas had been talking about. Thomas liked the admiring glances that Wesley gave him when he talked about such things. It made him feel confident and able, and - not to mention - very sexy.

“You just won’t let it go,” Wesley said. “You truly believe the Treaty should be dropped.”

“Amended,” Thomas corrected him. “And we don’t want the galactic universe to know that we, the Federation, are ready to drop it all and go crazy with the cloaking devices. Sure, there would have to be a lot of regulation and provisos. Something to let the adversary know that we will not always use them, but when we do - look out. It may already be too late.”

“Fascinating. It would never happen.”

“We spend so much time thinking about what the right thing to do is, as Starfleet officers,” Thomas said. “Not enough time goes into thinking what the wrong thing would be. And that is how the adversary thinks.” He shrugged. “I just want the conversation about it to start, that’s all.”

“I’ve never heard Will talk like that.”

“He’s been housebroken for too long.”

Wesley snickered, and Thomas smiled broadly.

“The funny thing is, I think your Riker and I could learn a lot from each other, if we had the patience,” Thomas said, a touch of regret in his voice. “I’d always wanted a brother, and we’d probably make a decent team.”

“I think you’ve ruined any chance of that,” Wesley pointed out.

“Maybe not. We’re the same, you know. If he’d done something like this to me, I’d forgive it eventually,” Thomas said sincerely. “Knowing the motivation, and all.”

“Yeah,” Wesley replied, seemingly deep in thought.

“He worked his ass off for twenty-six years to get here,” Thomas said. “So did I.”

“And sixty or seventy sex partners later, here we are,” said Wesley with a smirk.

“Hey, don’t make a joke out of it,” Thomas said. “It’s very hard to get me to commit, and I can speak for him. He chose you.”

Wesley flushed prettily. “And you?”

“I inherited you,” Thomas winked.

Wesley scowled.

“Don’t fish for compliments you can’t handle, kid,” Thomas told him. “You put up boundaries, I’m respecting them.”

“But…”

Thomas watched Wesley squirm in his chair, attempting to be nonchalant. “Just say what’s on your mind.”

“Nothing.” Wesley looked up, biting his lip. “Nothing, you’re right.”

“I’ve already told you how I feel towards you,” Thomas said with his hands up. “I understand what you’re going through and I know it’s hard but don’t keep pressing the issue and tricking me into saying how much I want you, all right?”

Wesley looked away. “Just wondering.”

“Of course I want you. Your Riker does. If anything good comes out of this whole thing, it’s...You’re pretty much our dream, you know,” Thomas said gruffly. “And I know I can speak for him, too.”

They sat in silence for some moments, and Thomas felt Wesley peeking at him.

“Well?” Thomas prompted.

He felt Wesley’s foot tap the side of his calf, and then their ankles entwined. Thomas smiled at the younger man and took his hand over the table.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Thomas said quietly. “I mean, look at you.”

Wesley looked down at the table and said nothing.

 

***

 

The next thing Wesley knew, he had led Thomas down one of the back corridors, knowing in his head that it would lead to trouble, but he could not help himself, especially not after the things Thomas had said to him. Not after how lonely and scared he had been, how wound up and tense he had been. This, for once, made sense.

Thomas pressed him against the wall and dipped to lick at Wesley’s collar bone, pressed hot kisses against Wesley’s flushed skin. Wesley pushed him away and then took his shirt collar and pulled him close.

“Don’t tease me,” Thomas hissed.

Wesley narrowed his eyes and kissed Thomas on the lips, pulled him close, wrapped a long leg around Thomas’s legs. Their lips met and Wesley felt actual fireworks, like the kid he had read about. The energy sizzled between them and threatened to erupt; Thomas’s smooth face was so unlike Will’s rough beard, and as Wesley pushed all thoughts of Will out of his head, he opened his mouth and invited Thomas inside.

Their tongues danced together, hot and slow. Wesley cried out and pulled Thomas as close as possible, their groins grinding together deliciously. Wesley was hard, and he could feel that Thomas was, too. Their cocks rubbed against one another, creating a tight friction between them. Thomas slipped a hand down under Wesley’s shirt and caressed the warm skin. The cool fingers against Wesley’s waist made him gasp, and he arched his back, encouraging Thomas to touch more.

Thomas’s hand slid down the back of Wesley’s pants, palmed his ass and massaged the soft, supple skin. His limbs became nearly limp as Thomas held him against the wall.

“Mmm,” Wesley hummed out as Thomas expertly handled his ass, stroking the crease. “More.”

“Here?” Thomas said against Wesley’s lips, and he gestured around the hall with his free hand.

“Don’t care,” Wesley murmured.

Thomas grunted in reply and scooted Wesley over to a more secluded corner. He pushed Wesley’s shirt up and over his head, and Wesley gasped as the cool wall came into contact with his back. Immediately Thomas’s hands were all over him, his shoulders, his chest, his nipples, his hips. Wesley felt, quite literally, worshipped at the hands of Thomas.

“Beautiful,” Thomas whispered as he felt Wesley all over.

Wesley let out a shivery sigh and put his fingers through Thomas’s hair, stroking and keeping Thomas’s lips against his. He tasted so good after such a long starvation.

Thomas detached his lips and Wesley cried out, fingers pulling his head forward, but Thomas shook his head.

“”Why?” Wesley gasped.

“I want to see you,” Thomas said, eyes dark.

“I want to see you,” Wesley replied, his hands already unbuckling his belt.

Thomas laughed shortly. “All right, all right.

Wesley watched him, invigorated. Will would never do something like this. He stepped forward and pulled Thomas’s shirt off, then immediately smoothed his hand over the familiar, muscled chest.

“Let me,” Wesley said softly, and he bent down to undo Thomas’s belt. When the clasp was free, he peeled down Thomas’s pants and exposed his hard cock, pink and wet. Wesley trained his eyes on Thomas’s face as he leaned forward and licked at the tip.

Thomas drew in a sharp breath through his teeth and grinned, stumbling back against the wall. Now Wesley had him pinned, and he leaned forward again, this time wrapping his lips around Thomas’s cock and sucking in. 

He felt Thomas’s hands rest in his hair and as Wesley began bobbing back and forth, back and forth, Thomas guided him, at times dropping a hand to caress Wesley’s, which was gripping Thomas’s thigh. Wesley knew the landscape of Thomas’s groin like a well-read map. He knew just how to please him, just how and when to tease, and when to latch back on and go to town.

He knew, but hadn’t seen in a long time, that look of wonder on Thomas’s face. Will had been amazed at Wesley’s skills when they had first started being intimate; then they had grown comfortable together. Wesley missed that look of sheer amazement, that element of surprise.

He rocked back and forth on his heels, sucking Thomas until he tasted pearls of warm liquid begin to form. Thomas closed his eyes and placed a gentle hand behind Wesley’s neck, the other hand clasped tightly around Wesley’s hand. Wesley felt something tug deep inside his gut, a pure fondness, desire, and - well, how could he even help it? - remnants of love.

Wesley wrapped a hand around Thomas’s tight balls and squeezed expertly, and Thomas groaned. Wesley glanced up; his eyes no longer closed, where right on Wesley. Wesley kept his eyes on Thomas’s as he sucked harder, tasted him, felt his cock swell in his mouth.

It wasn’t long until Thomas went rigid and thrust against Wesley, coming in jagged spatters inside the younger man’s mouth. Wesley lapped it up greedily, adoring the taste and the sensation of being so completely Thomas’s. Wesley eased off, sitting back on the ball of his heels, and kissed around Thomas’s groin.

Thomas leaned against the wall, panting, his face flushed. He rubbed behind his neck and then pulled Wesley to a standing position. He pulled Wesley into his arms and held tight.

“Outstanding,” Thomas managed, his lips right at Wesley’s ear. “You’re amazing.”

Wesley turned his face and their lips met again, the time slowly and agonizingly deep. He felt Thomas’s groin against his skin, the wetness, the heat. Wesley sighed raggedly and allowed Thomas to slide his hands down the back of his pants again.

“I want to repay the favor,” Thomas said between kisses. “But not here. Not with what I have in mind.”

“You don’t have to,” Wesley replied, heart racing. “I wanted to do that.”

“Clearly,” Thomas said with a laugh. “But now I want to do something for you.”

Wesley looked at Thomas for a moment, and recalled something he had said earlier; they were past the point of no return. There was no use fighting it. Will and Wesley had always had a powerful, sizzling chemistry between them; it was no different with Thomas.

“Lead the way,” Wesley agreed lightly and they kissed long and hard again before scrambling to put their clothes back on.


	7. Chapter 7

Wesley sat on a box filled with spare engine parts, staring at his scanner and trying to make sense of some figures he had just collected. Data had asked him to test the levels of some of the newer gears meant to for the auxiliary engines, to make sure they were ship shape and ready for installation.

The work was monotonous, and probably could have been done in five minutes, but Wesley’s mind wandered and dragged the simple task to an hour. Wesley had a lot on his mind, and he wished he could talk to someone about it, unload some of his stress.

The reason for his stress, Thomas, entered the room and stood at the doorway.

“There you are,” Thomas said with a smile. “Thought we lost you.”

“No, I’m just about done,” Wesley replied. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

“Not a problem,” Thomas said, and he bridged the gap between them and kissed Wesley lightly on the lips. Wesley smiled at the older man.

“How’s it looking?” Thomas asked. He tapped the array and peered at the scanner. “Ready for assembly?”

“I don’t see anything so far that would say otherwise. But look at that - all done,” Wesley said with a grin. “Now I’m all yours.”

Thomas leaned in and kissed Wesley again, and Wesley squeezed his open thighs against Thomas’s waist. Things with Thomas were beginning to feel normal, and as much as that scared Wesley, it invigorated him as well.

Thomas pulled back and placed his hands on Wesley’s thighs. “What’s your schedule today?”

“Should probably head back to Engineering so we can get the process started,” Wesley said with a sigh. “Would rather not.”

“Stay here for a bit,” Thomas urged. “I’ve got some time.”

“You’re the captain,” Wesley replied. “You call the shots.”

“That’s true,” Thomas said with a nod. He stroked a piece of hair away from Wesley’s forehead. “What’s on your mind? You seem out of it.”

“Just thinking.”

Thomas nodded and pulled out a cigarette. He lit up and after a drag, passed it to Wesley. Wesley took a long pull and passed it back, shoulders relaxing.

“I was thinking about…” Wesley shrugged. “My future. Doing boring and repetitive tasks like this make me question what I’m doing.”

Thomas gasped, eyes amused. “You mean you’re not pledged for life to Starfleet?”

“Of course not. I mean, yes. I don’t know.”

“There’s a lot out there,” Thomas said, leaning against the wall. “I’ve seen some of it.”

“That’s it. Maybe I need to see some of it. Will-” Wesley cut himself off, frowning.

“What? You can talk about him, I don’t care.”

Wesley took a deep breath and accepted the cigarette again. “I used to talk to Will about it. Maybe we could take some time off, travel, find some freelance courier work.”

“Wesley Crusher wants to go rogue?” Thomas asked with a grin.

“Not rogue, no,” Wesley said with a laugh. “Well, maybe a little rogue.”

“It can be dangerous, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why Will always told me it was a stupid idea, that I didn’t know how good I had it here on the Enterprise, in Starfleet.” Wesley handed the cigarette back and sighed wistfully. “I’ll never find out, I guess. He’s right.”

“I’m not going to say don’t try,” Thomas said after a moment. “But I can tell you one thing. Given the chance, you will always do the right thing.”

“That’s not true.” Wesley made a face.

“Name one time.”

Wesley thought hard, but every situation he could think of, he ended up doing the right thing in the end. He started to laugh, and he looked at Thomas. Thomas stared back at him with such a knowing smile, an expression so much like Will’s that it made his heart ache.

“You’re right,” Wesley agreed. “You’re absolutely right.”

“You’re going to be okay,” Thomas said softly. “Just keep being…”

Wesley looked at him expectantly.

“You,” Thomas finished, and Wesley laughed again. They shared a hot kiss until a beeping sounded from Thomas’s pocket. Thomas took a step back and pulled out his tablet.

“No,” he murmured, all traces of mirth and relaxation leaving his face.

“What is it?” Wesley asked anxiously. “Is it Will?”

“No, it’s-” Thomas turned away, blocking Wesley’s view of the screen. “I have to take this.”

Thomas left the room, but Wesley could hear him just outside, in the hall. Wesley stayed where he was, tried his hardest to listen. Thomas spoke in low, hushed tones and the voice on the other end was muffled.

“... won’t be long, don’t do anything rash…” Thomas said quietly. “... give me one more...will get you the intel, you don’t need...not my job to do that and you know it...never agreed to…”

Wesley craned his neck, trying desperately to catch more than fragments of the conversation. He saw Thomas pace past the open door, and Wesley glanced at the screen. For a split second, he thought he saw something definite, and his heart skipped a beat.

Was Thomas talking to the Ferenghi?

“... make no mistake, I will expose… the proper defense… new inventions, the most brilliant minds… no match for our defense…”

Thomas was working with the Ferenghi? It also sounded like he was threatening them.

“You can’t do that!” Thomas’s voice rose. “I never agreed to that, and you all well know it!”

Wesley bit his lip. After weeks of being in the dark about everything, he finally had a clue as to what was going on. He had a leg to stand on, and he could begin to figure out where they were keeping Will. 

“Don’t contact me again,” Thomas said loudly, angrily. “We had an agreement, and I am following your terms. Now, you start following mine or there will be serious consequences.”

After some muffled and equally angry sounding protestations, Wesley heard nothing.

Thomas poked his head back in, his face ashen. “Sorry about that.”

“Is everything okay?” Wesley asked politely, his voice stiff. 

“It’s fine.”

Wesley moved his eyes to the floor. After the way Thomas had threatened and berated the Ferenghi, was Will’s safety a concern? Wesley had so many questions, but he did not want to let Thomas know how much he had heard and seen. Wesley wouldn’t play that card until the very last resort.

“Um,” Wesley stammered. “So, I’m all done here, and I should go tell Commander Data about, um.”

Thomas nodded, mouth set in a straight line.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” Wesley asked. His voice wavered slightly, and Thomas met his eye.

“Yes,” he replied firmly. “You don’t need to worry. About anything.”

Wesley felt, in that instant, that Thomas may have known he’d blown his cover and Wesley would be worried about Will. He didn’t think either of them would admit it to the other, but Wesley would just have to take that reassurance, if only for his sanity.

“Got it,” Wesley said quietly. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

He lingered for a moment, waiting for Thomas to touch him or kiss him. Anything.

“Yeah,” was all Thomas replied.

Wesley opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it and left.

 

***

 

Thomas felt anxious. His usual confidence was shot, and he struggled to stay alert for the rest of his shift. He felt that everyone was onto him, which was absurd; no one had any reason to suspect him for anything other than having a bad day.

He walked back to his quarters, losing his way a few times until he stopped, took a deep breath, and gave himself a silent pep talk.

The Ferenghi were putting pressure on him, but that wasn’t new. It was in their nature to make sure their investment would generate a profit, and Thomas was their investment. Thomas had agreed to their terms quickly - in exchange for helping Thomas get on board the Enterprise and keeping Will prisoner for the duration, Thomas was to be their mole. Give them intel. Help them with their plan to weaken Starfleet’s infrastructure by planting assassination attempts on highly ranking officers. Send the rest of Starfleet scrambling.

At first, it had been easy. Thomas didn’t care about the crew or Starfleet.

Now, it was getting harder and harder to betray the crew and organization he was growing to love again. He was making a life here, and it had been so easy to slip back into his old William T. Riker self. He had gone days without even thinking anything was complicated about his situation.

And then there was Wesley. Wesley had been so integral in the transition, and Thomas knew himself enough to realize he was falling in love with the young ensign. He had literally taken everything that was Will’s and made it his own.

If this all went south, that was going to be the hardest part. Losing Wesley.

Thomas sighed and stood in front of the door to his quarters. Their quarters.

He composed himself and went inside to find Wesley sitting at the table, pouring over something on a small computer. Wesley looked up and switched off the screen, looking guilty.

“Hi,” he said in a small voice, and offered a smile.

“Hi,” Thomas replied softly. He hesitated before sitting down next to Wesley.

“You seem tense,” Wesley said.

“Bad day.” Thomas put his elbows on the table and rubbed behind his neck.

“I’m sorry,” Wesley murmured. “Can I help?”

Thomas smiled. “I don’t know, kid.”

Wesley slid a hand over, touched Thomas’s arm. “You can tell me.”

Thomas took Wesley’s hand and squeezed. “It’s nothing. You’re sweet to ask.”

Wesley scooted his chair closer and rubbed a hand over Thomas’s back. “Well, earlier… you told me not to worry. About anything.”

They danced around the topic. Thomas stared Wesley in the eye, and Wesley held his gaze, not flinching.

“Everything’s fine. Everyone’s safe,” Thomas told him. “I can prove it, if you like.”

“What if he’s… not?” Wesley bit his lip.

Thomas sighed and pulled out the tablet. He carelessly tapped in the passcode, feeling Wesley’s eyes trained on his every movement. He selected an icon in the corner and the screen showed Will’s room, quiet and undisturbed.

“Where is he?” Wesley whispered.

“Find out,” Thomas said gently. He slid the tablet to Wesley.

Wesley picked up the device and held it close to his face. “Will,” he said. “Are you there?”

Will walked into view, and Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.

“What is it?” Will asked, looking concerned.

“I wanted to see you,” Wesley replied. “I needed to. I wanted to make sure you were still there.”

“Where would I go?” Will said dully.

“Somewhere worse,” said Wesley with a dismal expression. “It could always be worse, remember?”

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Will asked softly. He sat down in front of the screen and leaned forward.

“I’m so sorry,” Wesley said brokenly. “About the last time we talked, I’m sorry I was-”

“Stop it,” Will said. “I don’t blame you for anything, Wes. You’re doing your best over there.”

“I could be better,” Wesley replied. “I miss you so much and I’m so sorry that I…”

“What?”

Wesley shook his head. “I’m just sorry that I haven’t figured it out yet.”

Will nodded, his eyes filled with emotion.

“How are you? What have you been doing?” Wesley asked.

Will leaned back and shrugged. “Well, I’ve read those three books more times than I can count.”

“Are they good?”

“God, no,” Will said with a short laugh.

“What are they about?”

“One is a trashy romance novel, one is some kind of old dictionary, and one is a collection of short stories about the wild west,” Will said. “Don’t let it fool you. They’re bad.”

“You read the dictionary?”

“I didn’t say it was a good read,” Will smiled. “And the replicator here only lets me order certain kinds of food. Actually, the dictionary was probably the best read of the three.”

Wesley let out a breathy giggle, and Thomas watched the two chatting happily with pangs of guilt and jealousy. He had been fooling himself, thinking he had any part of Wesley. Wesley was entirely Will’s.

He let them talk a little longer before resting a hand on Wesley’s arm. Wesley turned to look at him, his expression happy. 

“What is it?” asked Will.

“I think it’s time to go,” Wesley said, still looking at Thomas. Thomas nodded and Wesley took his hand and turned back to the screen. “Good night, Will.”

“I love you, Wes.”

“Me too,” Wesley said quietly, and Thomas took the tablet back. He put it in his pocket and let go of Wesley’s hand, folded his arms.

“I’m sorry,” Wesley told him. “I was just scared he wasn’t okay.”

“I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to him,” Thomas said, his voice thick with jealousy.

“I know, I trust you,” Wesley said quickly. “I’m just sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

Wesley sighed. “It’s awkward, talking to him in front of you. I don’t want you to see…”

“How happy he makes you?” Thomas supplied.

“It’s complicated,” Wesley mumbled. “And I feel guilty.”

“Why should you feel guilty?” Thomas asked. “You’re only cooperating with me for Will’s safety, right?”

“Cooperating,” Wesley echoed.

“I’d say all of your actions so far fall under cooperation.”

“You know that’s not true,” Wesley said. “And you’re not stupid, so don’t make me spell it out.”

“The thing about us, Wesley Crusher, is that I’m never going to know if you are coming to me willingly, or because you feel like it’s in your best interest to do so,” Thomas said honestly. “I chose not to care. You’re sexy, you make me feel good, and I like having you around.”

“I should hate you,” said Wesley.

“I know,” Thomas replied. “You should.”

“So what about you? I’m never going to know if you really care, or if it’s all part of your plan,” Wesley said, staring at his lap.

Thomas cracked a grin. “Would you believe me if I told you the truth?”

Wesley shrugged a shoulder, but raised his eyes.

“Then I guess there’s no point in telling you,” Thomas said. 

“No, no,” Wesley said, leaning forward and tugging on Thomas’s shirt. “You should probably tell me.”

Thomas tugged Wesley back, pulled him into his lap. Wesley draped an arm around Thomas’s shoulders and their eyes met, faces close.

“Fine, all cards on the table,” Thomas said. He wrapped an arm around Wesley’s waist and secured him in his lap. “I thought I was in love before, years ago, but now I’m not so sure that’s what it was. Not after having known you.”

Wesley frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“It means… I care about you,” Thomas told him, squeezing Wesley’s hip. “You’re amazing. You’re perfect. You’re everything I’d want in another person.”

Wesley leaned in and kissed Thomas, and Thomas scooped him up in his arms and clumsily carried him to the bed, limbs flying everywhere. Wesley fell onto the mattress and laughed, tugging Thomas down with him, and Thomas covered Wesley’s body with his own.

“But,” Thomas said lowly, against Wesley’s cheek. “You belong to him.”

Wesley groaned and his mouth found Thomas’s again, his lips parting, his tongue licking just inside Thomas’s mouth. Thomas closed his eyes and gave in to his arousal. He didn’t know what was in Wesley’s head, and he didn’t know if he had said too much. All he knew was that he and Wesley were together, and he would enjoy this ride for as long as it would last. 

 

***

 

Wesley sat at the helm the next day, thinking about Will. It had been a little over a month since he had seen him. Wesley had a gut feeling that Thomas’s whole charade wouldn’t last much longer. He wasn’t any closer to finding out how to break Thomas’s plan and rescue Will, even with the knowledge that the Ferenghi were involved. It sat heavily on Wesley’s shoulders and he wished, for the millionth time, that he could ask Will for advice.

He wasn’t highly ranked enough to be involved in discussions regarding the greater matter of the assassinations, but he heard bits of information here and there. The Ferenghi were not even on the list of suspects, as far as Wesley knew. Maybe Wesley could give an anonymous tip, some sort of heads up to a third party to relay the information.

But then he thought about what kind of consequences Will would suffer, and Wesley’s ambition was dead in the water.

“Commander Data, we’re being hailed,” spoke up Worf from the back.

Data sat next to Wesley at the helm, and he turned to look at Worf. “Thank you, Lieutenant. On screen.”

The screen filled with an image of Captain Picard, and Wesley looked up with interest.

“Captain,” greeted Data. “This is a surprise.”

“Good evening, Mr. Data,” Picard replied companionably. “And everyone.”

“How may I be of service?” asked Data. “We were not expecting to hear from you for many more days.”

“There has been a change in circumstances,” said Picard. “Where is Commander Riker?”

“Acting Captain Riker left the bridge briefly to oversee the progress of our new miniature photon laser installation,” said Data. “I can relay any message, if you would like.”

“That’s fine, Mr. Data. Please tell him that I will be returning tomorrow evening with Counselor Troi after the funeral ceremony for Admiral Legata,” Picard said gravely. “I was offered a promotion to become admiral in his stead, but I have declined. Someone new has been chosen for the job.”

“I am deeply sorry,” said Data said, a touch of emotion in his otherwise monotone voice. 

“Thank you,” Picard said with a nod. He sighed and looked around the bridge, catching Wesley’s eye for a moment. Wesley smiled and gave a nod in hello. 

“Until tomorrow,” Picard said. “Picard out.”

The screen went blank, returning to the helm view outside. Everyone on the bridge began to chatter, some anxious, some relieved, some happy about the restoration to normalcy.

Wesley leaned back in his chair and chewed at a fingernail. How would Thomas react to this news? He’d already made a home on the Enterprise, and nobody had caught on to him. Not even one hint of suspicion from the other officers. Thomas had done his job beautifully, and Wesley had abetted him in the crime.

Wesley frowned. Would he be in trouble for this, as well? Would his career be ruined because of Thomas’s reckless ambition?

“Ensign, set a course for the Demeter Starfleet base,” instructed Data. “We will acquire necessary supplies during our rendezvous with the USS Fawkes to meet with the captain.”

“Oh,” Wesley mumbled. “Right.”

Wesley tapped in the proper commands and tried to focus on his work, to keep his mind off the fact that technically, he was an accessory to this crime. What would his mother say? Would anyone understand Wesley’s motivations in keeping quiet and actually helping Thomas?

And what about all the things they had done together? Wesley’s ears grew thought just thinking about the previous night, Thomas so far deep inside him that Wesley had felt unraveled.

“Full speed,” said Data. 

“Aye, sir,” Wesley acknowledged. He raised the speed from half to full, feeling the gradual sway that came with it. 

Thomas returned, strutting onto the bridge with all the confidence of a man in charge, and one who was getting laid regularly. Wesley nodded at him in greeting and turned back to his station, staring straight ahead.

“Sir, Captain Picard has just spoken with us,” Data told Thomas as he approached the helm. “He will be returning tomorrow evening with Counselor Troi. I was to relay this message to you.”

Thomas faltered a moment, and then nodded quickly, as if to cover the slip. “Thank you, Commander,” Thomas replied. “It will be a relief to have the captain back on board.”

“I agree, sir,” Date said. “Is there anything you would like us to do in preparation?”

Thomas let out a low breath. “I suppose it would be good to have the mini photons installed. They’re almost ready, and if I can steal away Ensign Crusher for a while, we can run some diagnostics.”

“Aye, sir,” Data replied. “I will take the helm.”

“Thank you,” Wesley said, and his eyes met Thomas’s. Thomas’s expression was a little paler than normal, and he fidgeted at the hem of his shirt with his fingers. Wesley stood and tapped Thomas’s arm, and they walked out to the turbolift.

“Damn it,” Thomas said quietly, and he leaned forward with one hand against the wall.

“He had to come back sometime,” Wesley replied, not unkindly. He placed a hand on Thomas’s back, and Thomas turned around. For the first time, he saw exhaustion in Thomas’s eyes. He saw some lines of wear and age that Will wore. “It might be okay. We can-”

“Damn it, Wesley,” Thomas said, his face tensing in anger. “What is your goal? Are you really going to help me forever? Are you going to forget all about Will? Do you really think I would still - if you told - do you think I would still crush you by hurting him?”

“I don’t know,” Wesley replied honestly, widening his eyes. “I don’t have answers to any of that, except that I will never forget Will.”

“Then what’s your motivation?” Thomas demanded, and he backed Wesley into a corner. “How long will this go on?”

Wesley let out a muffled sob. “As long as you keep me like this.”

“No,” Thomas said. “Oh, no. I might have been blackmailing you before, but do you really think that now, after all we’ve been through together, that I could really destroy your heart like that?”

“I don’t know,” Wesley almost shouted. “I don’t know what you’re capable of!”

“I’m capable,” Thomas said darkly. “Believe me.”

“Oh, god,” Wesley murmured, and he turned his face away and bit his lip. “You’re so angry. You might think I’m helping you, but I can’t help you with that. I don’t think anyone can.”

Thomas sighed, and Wesley dared to look at him again. He saw a broken man, defeated but still trying to fight, and it made Wesley’s heart ache.

“I’m sorry,” Thomas said. He put a hand on Wesley’s shoulder, and Wesley leaned in to wrap his arms around the older man. Wesley felt for Thomas, he really did. He felt a great affection for him, and the attraction between them was electric. Wesley knew he couldn’t fix Thomas, but he might be able to fix the situation. As he let Thomas kiss him, he began to develop an idea.

It was crazy. Wesley wasn’t sure he could go through with it.

“We’ll figure something out,” Wesley told him between kisses. He would need just a little bit of time to mentally prepare himself, and the execution had to be perfect.

“I don’t deserve you,” Thomas replied as he stroked Wesley’s hair. 

Wesley trembled in his hold. He did not want to betray this man so unforgivably, but the alternative was worse. Much worse.

“Come on,” Wesley said softly, taking Thomas’s hand. “We’re here.

They stepped out of the turbolift into engineering, and Wesley steeled himself. He only had to wait for tomorrow night, and then he would have to act.


	8. Chapter 8

The next evening, Thomas surprised Wesley by welcoming him back to their quarters after a long work day with a nice dinner set at the table. Wesley smiled as he came in, dropping off his shoulder bag and greeting Thomas with a kiss.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking flushed and beautiful in the low lighting.

“Apology,” Thomas said. “I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday. I didn’t mean to, I just… I’m tense.”

“I understand,” Wesley said and he slid into Thomas’s lap,curling his arms around the older man’s shoulders. “Let’s relax.”

“I can’t, really. Captain Picard will want to see me when he arrives,” Thomas said with a frown.

“Oh, I bet he’ll just go to bed,” Wesley said with a smile. “Whatever he has to say can wait until tomorrow.”

“Do you know something?” Thomas asked with interest.

“Yes,” Wesley replied. “I know Captain Picard. He’ll be grouchy and exhausted and will want to go straight to sleep.”

“Fair enough,” Thomas said, and they shared a long, hot kiss. Thomas slid his hand up and under Wesley’s shirt and felt the warm skin, felt Wesley wriggling in his lap. His hand lowered to Wesley’s ass and he palmed the soft flesh, making Wesley sigh.

“I want you,” Wesley murmured, close to Thomas’s ear. “All night.”

“You’re in luck,” Thomas said as he toyed with the crease in Wesley’s ass.

“Wait,” Wesley said quickly. Thomas froze, and Wesley stood to pour some wine in two glasses. “Let’s not rush it, I… I want to enjoy tonight.”

“You haven’t enjoyed every time before?” Thomas teased, but he accepted the glass of red.

Wesley slid back into his lap. “Of course I have.” They clinked glasses and took long sips. “We have all night. Let’s take it slow.”

“Are you worried I won’t be able to keep up?” Thomas winked and resumed toying with Wesley’s ass.

“Don’t be stupid,” Wesley said. He arched his back as Thomas rubbed a finger just over his hole and then withdrew completely. “And don’t be mean.”

Thomas laugh, and he felt himself begin to relax. “You’re amazing,” he said softly against the skin of Wesley’s neck. “And unbelievably sexy.”

“Mm,” Wesley hummed as Thomas pressed more kisses to his neck. Their lips met again, and Thomas smoothly took both their wine glasses and set them on the window ledge. He pressed Wesley down into the couch and felt himself harden as he moved against the younger man, all heat and sparks between them. All of Thomas’s tension disappeared as the younger man writhed beneath him, his shirt sliding up his hips and exposing soft skin which Thomas leaned down and devoured. 

He kissed Wesley’s hip bone and tugged the ensign’s pants lower to expose more skin. Wesley groaned and reached for Thomas, but Thomas unbuckled Wesley’s belt and continued his work.

“Lower,” Wesley murmured, and Thomas nodded. He revealed more and more of Wesley, until Wesley’s cock sprang up between them and Thomas grinned. He slowly pulled off Wesley’s shoes, socks, pants, and then Wesley shimmed out of his shirt. He was perfectly naked before Thomas.

Thomas bent down to kiss Wesley’s stomach, then hips, then the joint of his thighs. Wesley drew in a sharp, hissing gasp as Thomas then kissed the tip of his cock. Thomas smiled darkly and licked along the shaft, causing Wesley to squirm and tremble beneath him.  
He crept a finger under to Wesley’s ass as he licked and sucked the younger man’s pulsing cock, and he teased just between the crease. Wesley moaned and put his hands in Thomas’s hair, fingers tensing against dark locks and digging in to Thomas’s scalp. Thomas licked a finger and pressed it to Wesley’s hole. Wesley cried out.

“No,” he whimpered. “Bed. Now.”

“But this is so good,” Thomas murmured, watching Wesley’s face as he pressed harder.

“Bed,” Wesley said again.

“If you insist,” Thomas replied. He scooped Wesley’s light, slim body up in his arms and walked him over to the bed. Wesley sprawled on the surface, his thighs falling open, and Thomas began to take off his own clothes.

“Come here,” Wesley pleaded, eyes wide.

Thomas ripped off his shirt and made quick work of his shoes, socks, and pants. He crawled onto the bed with Wesley and immediately pressed their naked bodies together.

“What do you want?” Thomas said, his voice rumbling against Wesley’s throat. “Anything you want, we’ll do it.”

Wesley whined in reply as Thomas fingered him slowly. “I want…”

Thomas smiled and captured Wesley’s mouth in a kiss.

“I want…” Wesley sat up and touched Thomas’s shoulders to lie him down on the bed. “There’s one thing.”

Thomas watched in a daze as Wesley climbed on top of him, thighs on either side, straddling him completely.

“Tell me,” Thomas said curiously. He gripped Wesley’s thighs and their cocks mingled.

“It’s something we never do,” Wesley said quietly, face flushed. “Will doesn’t like it. But I…” He bent down and kissed Thomas deeply, wetly. “I think about doing it all the time.”

“Tell me,” Thomas said again.

“You on your back… Me on top,” Wesley said.

“That doesn’t sound so wild,” Thomas replied, confused.

“I love it,” Wesley said as he stroked Thomas’s chest and shoulders. “It feels so…”

Thomas nodded, and his cock stood perpendicular to his body. Wesley grinned and reached for the tube on the bedside table and expertly put some on his hand. He took his time massaging the slick gel around Thomas’s cock, and Thomas watched Wesley’s face. His stomach tugged, he felt so strongly for this young man. He wanted to give him anything and everything he asked for, he realized. No exceptions.

Wesley eased back, lifting his ass slightly, exposing himself completely to Thomas. Thomas licked his lips and enjoyed the show; Wesley stretched his long, slender body, Wesley positioning himself over Thomas, and then the delicious moment when Wesley eased Thomas’s cock inside him.

“Ugh… yes,” was all Thomas could manage as he felt himself be enveloped by Wesley’s heat. Wesley stared at Thomas’s face as he entered him, only wincing slightly, and when he was fully seated Thomas held him there a moment. “Damn.”

Wesley let out a long breath, his stomach muscles flexing. He nodded and leaned down to kiss Thomas again, and then he began to move slowly.

Thomas put his hands on Wesley’s hips and guided him, slow at first, but the pace began to quicken. 

“Harder,” Wesley whispered.

They began to move more rapidly, grinding together as Wesley began to rise and fall. Thomas put one hand on Wesley’s cock and stroked, causing Wesley to moan loudly; louder than Thomas had ever heard him before. Thomas smiled, encouraged, and began to stroke harder, began to buck his hips and thrust as Wesley’s slid down.

Wesley bounced on Thomas’s cock, his entire body flushed and developing a thin sheen of sweat. Thomas gripped the younger man’s hips, pumped his cock, thrust upward inside Wesley and grunted as he felt his back muscles tighten.

“Harder,” Wesley said again, and he leaned forward to grip Thomas’s shoulders.

Thomas arched his back, really put his whole body into it, felt his back muscles shifting and working too hard. He paid no mind; this was so good, and the view of Wesley trembling over him was worth the pain.

Wesley’s face scrunched and Thomas continued stroking his cock, collecting beads of liquid. He stretched his legs to make his back more rigid, more comfortable, and Wesley cried out. He came in Thomas’s hand in a few spurts, and tightened his muscles around Thomas’s hard, hot cock like a vise grip.

Wesley opened his eyes and smiled hazily at Thomas, took a deep breath, dug his fingers into Thomas’s shoulders. Thomas thrust harder, his back crying out in pain but he did not want to stop, did not think he could stop. He felt the heat pooling in his groin, the tension growing. Wesley continued hopping, up and down, on Thomas’s arousal. He squeezed and relaxed his muscles around Thomas in a delicious rhythm, and just as Wesley tightened particularly hard, Thomas came with a gasp inside of him.

Wesley leaned forward, pet and stroked Thomas’s face and leaned down to kiss him. Thomas dazedly returned the kiss, licking at Wesley’s lips and wrapping his arms around the boy’s shoulders. They made out for some quiet moments, still connected in the most intimate of areas, still grinding slowly.

Eventually, Wesley slid off and lay beside Thomas. They both breathed heavily, hands clasped.

“I can’t move,” Thomas remarked, and he squeezed Wesley’s hand.

“What do you mean?” Wesley popped himself up on his elbow and stared down at him.

“I think I know why your Riker won’t do that with you,” Thomas said with a short laugh. “My back is in a lot of pain.”

Wesley frowned and touched Thomas’s face. “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t remember.”

“It was worth it,” Thomas said with a sleepy wink. “You’re amazing.”

He shifted slightly, and a stab of pain ran up his backside. He winced, and Wesley fussed over him, looking concerned.

“It’s fine,” Thomas insisted. “I just need to… not move. For a while.”

“Will you be okay tomorrow?” Wesley asked, his face traced with anxiety.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, that was amazing,” Thomas told him. He attempted to wrap an arm around Wesley but there was too much pain, so he settled down against the mattress again. “You completely disabled me.”

Wesley’s eyes flashed for just a moment, and Thomas wondered if he could see a trace of guilt on the boy’s expression. He pushed that thought out of his mind; how could he think anything bad about Wesley? He was amazing, he was sexy, and he gave Thomas some of the best sex he’d ever had in his life. That was saying something.

“Can I get you anything?” Wesley looked around the room. “Something to drink? Food?” He paused. “Oh! I know.”

He scrambled off the bed and Thomas watched him walk around the room, still naked and flushed all over. Thomas put a hand on his own cock and wondered if he was too damaged to go another round.

Wesley came back to the bed, holding a small bottle. “These are for pain,” he explained. “Will takes them after a long day at work, or for anything, really. I think his back is worse than yours.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes and studied the bottle. It had a dosage amount and directions on how and when to take them, but no active ingredients.

“What do they do?” he asked slowly.

“They just take away the pain,” Wesley said quickly. “They really work. We can spend the rest of the night relaxing and eating dinner in bed. I’ll be your little servant.”

“I like that idea,” Thomas said with a smile. He shifted again, grimaced. He couldn’t move a millimeter without searing stabs of pain. “As long as they won’t put me to sleep.”

“Oh, no,” Wesley assured him. “Will doesn’t like that, either.”

“Uh-huh,” Thomas murmured. He tapped two pills out of the bottle and studied them. They were nondescript and small. “Maybe we can go again after my pain is gone. This time a little slower.”

“I hope so,” Wesley said with a blush. “I know I’m not done.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Thomas kissed Wesley’s nose and then swallowed the two pills.

Wesley smiled broadly and stood again. “I’ll bring some food over.”

“And the drinks,” Thomas said vaguely. His vision got hazier and he frowned. “You’re too good to be true,” he slurred.

“Don’t move,” Wesley told him. “I’ll be right back.”

“Not hungry,” Thomas mumbled. His eyelids felt heavy and his tongue wagged in his mouth. “Come back.”

“I’m hungry,” Wesley insisted.

“You’re beautiful,” Thomas fired back. Wesley smirked and continued to pick out some food at the table. Thomas blinked slowly, each time becoming harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

He drugged me, Thomas thought to himself. He shifted his legs and the pain was less, but his consciousness dimmed in and out. He fought hard to stay awake but the last thing he saw before complete darkness was Wesley walking back to the bed, smiling.

 

***

 

Wesley crouched in the corner near the bed, watching Thomas doze. He felt incredibly guilty; he had known that if they’d had rough sex, especially that way, it would disable Thomas. He’d known his back would be in agony. He had known, he thought ashamedly, that the pain pills would knock Thomas unconscious for a few hours. He’d known because it happened once with Will, and Wesley was desperate to take the gamble it would happen again.

His plan had worked. Now he just needed to take the next step, but he found it difficult.

He pulled on his uniform and quietly made himself presentable. His face was still flushed, his hair a mess. He definitely looked like he had just been fucked hard.

He couldn’t worry about that. He crept over to the heap of Thomas’s clothes and pulled out the tablet from his pocket. His direct line to Will.

Wesley stood and looked at the bed once more. Thomas, dozing soundly, and completely nude. Wesley frowned. He couldn’t bear the idea of anyone barging in on him like this. What Wesley had done was bad enough.

He carefully pulled Thomas’s pants over his body, watching Thomas’s face wince as Wesley shifted his body around. Thomas didn’t wake, exactly as Wesley had expected. The pills were strong.

He admired his work. Thomas was now sound asleep, but at least he had pants on. Wesley could live with that. He pulled the covers up to Thomas’s chest and hesitated before walking away.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and kissed Thomas’s lips.

With a great sigh, Wesley tucked the tablet under his arm, and managed to pluck the combadge off of Thomas’s shirt. He would need that for when Captain Picard got back on board; Wesley had lied before. Of course Captain Picard would want to meet with the acting captain as soon as he got on board. Wesley couldn’t believe that Thomas wasn’t more skeptical about that.

With one last look at Thomas (and a gigantic pang of guilt), Wesley exited their quarters and crept down the corridor, looking for an empty, private place where he could wait.

He found an empty storage closet, and slid inside after making sure that no one (Thomas) had followed him. The room was small but quiet and empty aside from a few cleaning supplies and surplus Starfleet uniforms. Wesley crouched in the corner with his back against the wall and took out the tablet.

He had watched Thomas carefully before, when he’d tapped in the passcode. 4664164. Wesley had figured it was the day Thomas was rescued from Nervala IV.

Now that the moment was really here - now that he could talk to Will on his own, and hopefully get the plan into motion - he was nervous. His fingers cramped as he posed to tap in the passcode. This was it.

Wesley tapped in the code - 4664164 - and like a charm, he gained access. He breathed a sigh of relief and stared at the surface, now so familiar to him. He opened the live feed between the tablet and Will’s room, and bit his lip as he stared into the empty scene.

“Will,” Wesley said softly. “Will, it’s me. Come here.”

No response. Wesley bit his lip harder and looked around the storage closet, as if expecting someone to barge in at any moment. His stomach was in knots, and he tasted the slight metallic trace of blood as he chewed at his lip.

“Will,” Wesley said louder. “Will!”

He heard a scuffle, and then Will came into view, clearly having just woken up.

“Wesley?” He stood in front of the screen, worry line son his face. “Wesley, what? Is something wrong? What happened?”

Wesley let out a sob. He didn’t realize just how tense he was - how tense he’d been for over a month. He let himself shake with nerves for a few moments as silent tears ran down his cheeks.

“Wesley!” Will nearly shouted. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Did he-”

“I’m fine,” Wesley managed. “Listen, you have to listen to me. Thomas is - I stole the tablet and I’m hiding in the storage closet down the hall and Captain Picard is coming back on board any minute now and I-”

“Wait,” Will interrupted. “You stole it? Where is he? How did you manage it?”

“Not important,” Wesley said quickly. “He’s asleep. He’s… knocked out. I gave him one of your back pain pills. Two, actually.”

Will raised his eyebrows. “How… why did he agree to take two pills like that?”

“It’s not important,” Wesley repeated firmly.

“Did you fight him?”

“Of course not,” Wesley scoffed. “What do you think?”

“I’m thinking his back had to be in a pretty incredible amount of pain for him to agree to…” Will trailed off, realization dawning on his face. “Oh, no.”

“Will…”

“I can’t believe you,” Will said with a groan.

“I didn’t!”

“So how come his back was in so much pain that this criminal mastermind agreed to let himself be drugged?”

Wesley let out a sharp breath. “I did it for you.”

“No,” Will said instantly as he glared through the screen.

“I had to do something!” Wesley said shrilly, his voice rising. “You have no idea-”

“Stop,” Will said, shaking his head. He put his head down and rubbed at his neck, and Wesley felt miserable. Everything he had done for the past few weeks, every time he had betrayed Will by even smiling at Thomas.

“Look,” Wesley said quietly. “With any luck, we’ll be together again soon. You can be mad at me, you can yell and scream at me when you’re back. I don’t care. I just want you back here, with me. Can we please fight about this later?”

“Fine,” Will murmured, still not looking up.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“We’ll talk later.”

Wesley bit at his lip some more. “I’m just scared that you don’t understand there wasn’t any other way.”

Will remained silent, and Wesley sighed. He scooted down to a seated position and balanced the tablet in his lap. He couldn’t take the silence, and he worried that time would run out and Thomas would awake.

Wesley touched the screen in the upper left corner, and a few numbers and figures popped up. He stared at them. They looked like the current stardate, the time, time lapsed, and coordinates.

“Holy…” Wesley whispered, and he pulled out his tricorder.

“What,” Will said in an annoyed tone.

“Shut up,” Wesley said without thinking. He tapped in the coordinates in and calculated the distance. “Oh my god.”

Will finally looked up, eyebrows raised.

“I know where you are.” Wesley calculated some more data on his device and actually smiled. “Will!”

“What do you mean?” Will asked wearily.

“The coordinates - you - your location, it’s all right here,” Wesley said with lifted spirits. “And you’re not far away!”

Will sat up straighter. “Where?”

“I can’t tell if you’re in a craft or not,” Wesley said, and his eyes met Will’s. “But the coordinates are pretty steady in the Bellataine Prime region. Is that familiar?”

“I’ve heard of it. There’s nothing there.”

“You’re there,” Wesley said with feeling. “I could set this course with my eyes closed.”

“And then what? You have no idea what you’d be up against.”

“Captain Picard will know what to do,” Wesley said stubbornly. “It’s the Ferenghi, you know. They’re behind this.”

“Figures.” Will folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on Wesley. 

“We’ve dealt with them before,” said Wesley. “They won’t get away with this.”

Will nodded. “I guess not.”

Wesley frowned. “Aren’t you excited?”

“No,” Will said. “It smells like a trick. And a trap.”

“You’re so negative.”

“It’s called being cautious. I’m not going to fall for some stupid trap like he did,” Will said, and his eyes bore into Wesley’s core. 

“It wasn’t stupid,” Wesley couldn’t help saying.

Will grunted and looked away.

Wesley checked the time. It had been almost an hour since Thomas took the pills. He wondered how he was going to stand the silence as he waited for the captain to summon Thomas. Will was angry - Wesley didn’t blame him, but he thought he deserved a little leeway since his betrayal might lead to rescue.

Will didn’t need to know about the other betrayals. Wesley sighed and closed his eyes.

“Picard to Riker,” chirped Thomas’s combadge, just as Wesley was about to doze off. He jumped and fumbled for the small pin. On screen, Will perked up.

Wesley held up the combadge to the speakers on the tablet. Will nodded and said, “This is Commander Riker. Welcome back on board, sir.”

“Thank you, Number One. Please come to the bridge at your earliest convenience,” said Picard. “Picard out.”

Will looked at Wesley expectantly. “Go on.”

“I was going,” Wesley snapped, and he stood to leave the storage closet.

 

***

 

The bridge was quiet with the usual low-energy pace of the night crew. Commander Data sat at the helm while a few other engineers busied themselves with their work. There was no one in the captain’s seat. Wesley approached Data, holding the tablet, shielding the surface.

“Commander,” Wesley greeted properly. “Do you know where Captain Picard is?”

“I believe he is in his office awaiting the arrival of Commander Riker, to go over his report,” Data replied.

“Thank you, sir,” Wesley said, and he turned on his toe for the ready room. He took a deep breath and stole a peek at Will, who appeared apprehensive on the screen. Wesley tucked the tablet back under his arm and approached the door. It slid open and revealed Captain Picard at his desk.

It was like a breath of fresh air. Wesley wanted to hug him. Instead, he walked right up to the desk and waited for the captain to look up.

“Mr. Crusher,” Picard said in greeting.

“Captain,” Wesley said, voice already trembling. “I have something very serious to report.”

“Go on.”

Wesley looked around the room, as if to make sure no one would barge in or over hear anything he was about to say. He was still terrified that something would happen to Will.

“I, um.” Wesley swallowed hard; he worried that he was going to be in almost as much trouble as Thomas. 

Picard tilted his head patiently.

“The day you left, Commander Riker was kidnapped and replaced,” Wesley blurted out. “Thomas Riker has been posing as Will for the past five weeks or so sir. He has completely infiltrated Commander Riker’s life, and has been blackmailing me with Will’s safety the whole time, in order for me to cooperate. I have had loose contact with Commander Riker, as Thomas has seen fit. He’s imprisoned somewhere - well, I know where now - by the Ferenghi. They’re also behind the admiral assassinations.”

He took a deep breath and faltered, stumbling a few steps backward.

Picard was quiet for a moment, his face creased. “You couldn’t tell anyone?”

“He said that if I told anyone, even a hint, he would hurt Will,” Wesley said. “Or worse.”

He slid the tablet on the table, displaying Will on screen.

“Commander?” Picard peered at the tablet. “What is this?”

“Sir,” replied Will. 

“Thomas has kept this tablet close to him the whole time,” Wesley explained. “It’s a direct line to Will’s holding cell. I only managed to disable him and steal the tablet tonight.”

“How did you do that?” Picard seemed concerned. “This Thomas Riker must be very dangerous.”

Will scoffed.

“It’s not important how,” Wesley said, his eyes meeting Will’s. “But he’s incapacitated right now, for another few hours, I think.”

Will shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“Shut up,” Wesley grumbled.

Will glared at Wesley. “Captain, Wesley thinks he has found the coordinates of my location on the screen. I would warn you before coming to get me, though. These are the Ferenghi we’re dealing with, and I have not heard or seen anything besides the interior of this room for over a month. I can’t help you.”

“Nonsense, Number One.” Picard stood and walked over to look more closely at the tablet. “I’ll alert a small circle of officers to set a new course to these coordinates, and I will make sure that all defensive and offensive tactics are in place. Now,” he continued. “There is the question of our visitor on board. He will need to be detained in our highest security cell, and questioned when he regains consciousness.”

“Yes, sir,” Wesley said quietly. “What can I do?”

“Keep to the bridge,” Picard instructed. “Give me the tablet. I don’t want you anywhere near Thomas Riker, Wesley.”

“That’s what I told him” Will chimed in.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Wesley said with a scowl.

“Your involvement in this is over, Mr. Crusher,” said Picard. “Please join Commander Data at the helm and we will plot our new course. Quickly, now, while we’ve got the upper hand.”

Wesley picked up the tablet and gazed at Will before handing it over. Will would not meet his gaze, and Wesley sighed.

“If it locks up again, the passcode is 4664164. Just page me if you need help,” Wesley said as he gave the tablet to the captain. “Can I call my mom?”

“Not even Beverly knows?” Picard raised an eyebrow.

“No one.”

Picard sighed. “Of course. Have her come to the bridge, get her caught up. Just stay there - I want to know where you are.”

“Yes, sir.” Wesley tried to look at Will again, but he did not look up.

He knew he should feel hopeful and relieved, but Wesley felt miserable, guilty, and lonely.

 

***

 

Will returned on board the Enterprise to a quiet circle of officers, including the captain and Wesley. Captain Picard had decided that they should try to get Will back with minimal fuss; alerting the entire ship to the fact that Will had been missing seemed like unnecessary panic-mongering, especially since Thomas had done such a phenomenal job as captain in Picard’s absence. It was on a need-to-know basis.

Will’s prison cell was located on a small moon orbiting Bellataine Prime. There was minimal security and with proper, powerful tools, they were able to cut through the wall of the prison and release rescue Will. Picard had told Lieutenant Worf to be prepared for a fight; there was only slight resistance.

Wesley watched as Will beamed back on board, and was greeted by his close circle of friends. Wesley stood off to the side, unsure of how his reception would be. His mother stood close, her arm firmly around Wesley’s waist.

“He’s mad,” Wesley murmured. Will hadn’t even looked at him.

“He’s overwhelmed,” Beverly replied. “I don’t understand how he could be mad at you. Your hands were tied.”

Wesley shrugged. Of course his mother didn’t know the real nature of his relationship with Thomas.

“Will,” Beverly called, and Will turned his head to look at the Crushers. Wesley took in the sight. During his absence, Will had gotten scrawnier, more wiry. Hair unkempt and unruly, beard untrimmed. He seemed so much taller, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Wesley thought he looked amazing; handsome as they day they first met.

Will smiled widely, and hurried past the small crowd. He immediately pulled Wesley into a massive embrace and Wesley almost melted in his arms. He wrapped his arms so tightly around Will he was afraid he might have hurt him, but he didn’t care.

“I missed you,” Will said lowly, his voice tickling the soft hairs on Wesley’s neck.

“I missed you,” Wesley murmured. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted to-”

“We’ll talk later,” Will replied. “I promise it will be okay.”

Wesley nodded and their lips met. Wesley felt relieved to feel the rough scratch of Will’s beard against his face, and didn’t think there was any better feeling in the galaxy. They pulled apart and smiled, hands clasped, and rejoined the group. 

Wesley felt happy, but could not shake the uneasy feeling that somewhere on the ship, Thomas was in a holding cell, alone and probably feeling very betrayed.


	9. Chapter 9

Will and Wesley walked into their quarters later that night, and Wesley spoke the command for the light to switch on. The room illuminated and Wesley cringed; he had done his best at cleaning and making it ready for Will’s return, but there were still crumbs all over the table, some dirty clothes on the couch, and the bed was stripped of all its linens.

Will walked in and looked around. He stood in front of the bed and stared.

“I haven’t put new ones on yet,” Wesley said awkwardly. “Haven’t had time.”

“It’s fine,” Will replied shortly.

“You’re mad,” Wesley said in a quiet voice.

Will turned to look at him and shrugged. “I don’t know, Wesley. I’m mad, but I know I have to move past it.”

“It was nothing,” Wesley said, and he almost choked on the lie. “It meant nothing.”

Will sat on the couch. “You were with him for over five weeks. A cloned version of myself.”

Wesley tentatively joined him. “It wasn’t you, though.”

“I need to know,” Will said. “When you and he… Before he took the pills, was it planned? How did he react? Did it come out of nowhere?”

Wesley stared at his lap. “It just… happened.”

“Wesley, nothing ‘just happens’ with you,” Will said. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Wesley looked up guiltily at Will. 

“I do, but I don’t think I want to hear it.” Will put his elbows on his knees and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“He told me so many things you’d never told me before,” Wesley said softly. “Things about your childhood, stuff like that.”

Will groaned. 

“It was nice,” said Wesley. “I loved hearing about how you grew up.”

“And that’s when you started to fall for him.”

“Not him,” Wesley said entreatingly. “You. I really liked being around him, but it was like I was with another version of you. Probably a younger version - I don’t think Thomas had the opportunities to grow, like you did.”

Will didn’t respond.

“And,” Wesley added, “there’s the added element that I was terrified the whole time that if I didn’t please him, he would hurt you.”

“Thanks,” Will said dryly.

“To be honest, I’m glad I got to know him,” Wesley said. “I’m sorry it happened this way, and I’m so sorry for what I did, but I… I think I understand him now, and why he was so angry.”

“Was?”

“Yes, was. He didn’t have the amazing Starfleet career that you built. He was still convinced that you were just a copy of him, the real Will Riker. He felt cheated and completely abandoned by Starfleet, the very thing he’d dedicated his life to.”

“And now?”

“I think now…” Wesley leaned back on the couch and sighed. “I just think he’s broken and doesn’t know what to do with himself. He’s sad and alone.”

“Well, now he’s going to have to answer for the things he has chosen to do,” Will said gruffly. “I can’t help him.”

“I didn’t ask you to,” Wesley replied shortly.

They were quiet for a moment, and Wesley scooted closer to Will. Will put a hand on Wesley’s knee, and Wesley smiled.

“I knew he’d be capable running the ship. We were trained for that, I wasn’t worried. The one thing I was worried about was that he would try to take you from me,” Will said, his eyes meeting Wesley’s. “And I’m worried that he did take a small part, and I’ll never get that part of you back.”

“It was hard not to look at him and see you,” Wesley replied honestly. “And I don’t think he’s a bad guy.”

“He’s not,” Will agreed with a frown. “Maybe the part that makes me angriest is that everything he did, I am capable of, myself.”

Wesley took a chance and crawled into Will’s lap. Will relaxed and wrapped his arms around the younger man, and Wesley laid his head on Will’s shoulder.

“Just glad you’re back,” Wesley murmured.

“I can tell you don’t feel great about selling him out to the Federation, though,” Will said gently.

“Is that bad?” Wesley raised his head and their eyes met.

Will sighed. “No.” He kissed Wesley’s lips and pushed the hair off his forehead. “I sure missed you.”

Wesley smiled and let himself be pet and touched, and he knew all was forgiven.

 

***

 

The holding cell was quiet and dark. Thomas sat on a hard bench behind an invisible force field, so impenetrable that he was not required to have guards around the clock. He had not even tried to escape this time. There was no point, and he knew he’d been defeated. It was almost a relief; he had no more cards to play.

It had been four days since he’d woken up in this cell, the fluorescent, humming lights above him and Captain Picard and Lieutenant Worf reading him his charges. He was under arrest by the United Federation of Planets and would face a lengthy trial in the near future. He was to be transferred to Federation custody later in the week, and he’d been told that he’d better get comfortable now because the Fed prisons were unbearable.

Thomas stood and paced around the small cell for what must have been the two millionth time. He had nothing but the clothes he wore; not even a replicator or a book. He was reminded of his eight years on Nervala and decided that somehow, this was worse.

A dim light flickered from underneath the automatic door, and Thomas watched with interest. He heard a shuffling outside and wondered if Worf was dropping by to berate him again. Worf had been one of his frequent visitors.

The door slid open - manually, not automatically - and the intruder was clearly struggling. Thomas squinted into the darkness, and a figure stood by the wall, fiddling with a handheld device.

Thomas remained quiet.

Suddenly, the room was illuminated, and Thomas found himself staring at Wesley Crusher.

Wesley wore a Starfleet Academy t-shirt and track pants, and he looked as if he had just woken up. Thomas wondered if he was in a dream.

“Hi,” Wesley said in a small voice. He stayed at the opposite end of the room, pressed against the wall by the door.

“You,” Thomas murmured. He came to the force field and peered through the wavering air. “What are you doing here?”

“I know you’re angry,” Wesley said. “I know what I did was - I can’t even think about it, it was completely unforgivable.”

“Well, I was going to get caught eventually,” Thomas said with a wry smile. “What a way to go down, right?”

Wesley’s cheeks reddened. “You must hate me.”

“Why does it matter to you what I think?” Thomas asked.

“It matters.”

“I’m history,” Thomas said. “I’ll be gone soon, locked up forever or worse. There’s no point in caring what I think.”

Wesley folded his arms and shrugged. “Some would say you deserve that.”

“Do you?”

Wesley shrugged again, but then shook his head. “I’m so sorry.”

Thomas took a few steps back, sat on the bench. He never thought he would see Wesley again, and his heart raced at the sight of the young man. Of course Wesley was forgiven. Thomas would give Wesley the universe, if he could.

Still, he had to remain cold. It was easier that way.

“Is that why you came?” Thomas asked. “To apologize?”

“To say goodbye.”

That hurt. Thomas looked away, shook his head. “You didn’t need to do that. Just do me a favor and go back to your life and forget about it.”

“I’ll never forget about you,” Wesley said, and he took a step closer.

Thomas sighed. “I won’t either, kid.”

Wesley chewed at his lip, worried his fingers at the hem of his shirt. Thomas wondered why he was so nervous. The threat was over. Thomas held no power at all anymore.

“I might regret this,” Wesley said.

“What?”

There was a slight loud hum and pop as Wesley tapped a command into his device, and Thomas’s wavering vision of Wesley went clear. He had taken down the force field.

“What are you doing?” Thomas asked. Was this a another trap?

“You once told me that given the chance, I’ll always do the right thing,” Wesley said.

“I still think that… Seriously, what are you doing?”

“Something reckless and stupid and impulsive… Well, not so impulsive. I put a lot of work into planning this.” Wesley gave a small smile to Thomas. “The right thing.”

Thomas was bewildered.

“Come on,” Wesley said. “Before I lose my nerve.”

“What? You’re insane,” Thomas said slowly. “You’ll be in trouble - I’ll save a seat for you in my jail cell. That’s how much trouble you’ll be in.”

“Shut up. Just follow me,” Wesley said, his voice insistently. “Quickly and quietly.”

“I can’t,” Thomas said honestly. “The implications… You’ll be sanctioned for this. Your career at Starfleet will be over. Your relationship with... I can’t do this to you.”

Wesley made a face. “Then can you do it for me?”

“Oh, no. Don’t give me that face - damn it,” Thomas groaned. “The things you must get away with around here.”

“Please?” Wesley gestured to the door. “This can’t be traced back to me. At all.”

Thomas stood and took a few steps toward Wesley. He touched the younger man’s face, and his heart almost dropped into his stomach. He loved Wesley and wasn’t sure he could put the risk on him. Thomas would have rather rotted in a Federation jail cell for the rest of his life.

“You’re sure,” Thomas said in a hushed voice.

Wesley nodded, and crooked his finger. “Come.”

Wesley put the force field back up as soon as Thomas was in the clear, and they both struggled to open the automatic door manly. System overrides, Wesley explained as they grunted shoulder to shoulder. Once outside, Wesley set everything back to normal. Automatic door on, lights off, dull, infuriating humming noise of the force field in place.

They hurried quiet down the corridor to a turbolift, and stepped inside. Wesley made numerous adjustments on his device, constantly checking and scanning just outside of the door. He stood very close to Thomas, so close their bodies touched, and Thomas wanted so badly to wrap his arms around the younger man and stay that way for a long while.

They reached one of the lower floors - a shuttle bay - and when Thomas stepped into the large hangar, he was surprised to find that it was completely empty except for twenty-or-so shuttles posed on the flight deck, ready to go.

“There are nineteen shuttles here,” Wesley said quickly, quietly. “In the logs, there are only eighteen. I helped to supervise this mission - we are just sending some supplies out, and preparing to bring some back in - so it’s not high on the priority list. If that shuttle in the very front goes missing, no one will notice - at least, not for a very long time.”

“You did this?” Thomas looked around and his eyes landed on the shuttle Wesley mentioned.

Wesley nodded. “Yes. The shuttle in the front is completely outfitted - supplies, extra replicator, extra fuel, defense, you won’t want for anything. I made sure. Just go as far as you can. As fast as you can.”

“And it won’t be missed? You’re sure?”

“It’s not documented anywhere, and I did everything in plain sight,” Wesley said. “There’s no reason for anyone to think I wasn’t just outfitting one of our mission shuttles.”

“You’re amazing,” Thomas said as he walked over to the shuttle. His new craft. He patted the siding and turned to look at Wesley, who hung back.

“I just want... “ Wesley sighed and looked Thomas in the eyes. “You’re not meant to be in jail for the rest of your life. That’s not how this ends.”

Thomas nodded and turned back to look at the craft. It was sturdy and nondescript. There were no signs of Starfleet logos anywhere on the exterior. This would work nicely, and it was more than big enough.

“Come with me,” Thomas said. “You mentioned wanting to go rogue for a while. You won’t find a bigger rogue than me.”

He turned to look at Wesley again, who laughed, but his eyes shone and he bit at his lip.

“No,” he said after a moment. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”

Thomas smiled at the boy, happy that it appeared Wesley had even given it thought for a minute.

“I know,” Thomas replied. “Just know that I wish you could.”

Wesley walked over to Thomas and wrapped his arms around the older man in a tight embrace. Thomas’s heart hurt as he hugged him back. “I’ll never see you again,” he murmured against Wesley’s hair.

“No,” Wesley agreed. He buried his face in Thomas’s neck and Thomas stroked his hair.

“I love you,” Thomas told him. “You’re going to be hard to get over.”

Wesley looked up and frowned slightly.

“Don’t say anything,” Thomas said.

Wesley nodded, and leaned up to capture Thomas’s lips in a scorching kiss. Their mouths parted and Thomas felt Wesley lick just along the inside of his lips, and he moved his hands up and under Wesley’s t-shirt, feeling the warm skin one last time. He didn’t want to let go, and Wesley’s arms were still wrapped firmly around him, but he knew he had to be the one to step away.

He pulled back and kissed Wesley lightly on the forehead. “Thank you.”

“Go far away,” Wesley said softly. 

“They’ll never catch me.”

“I hope not.” Wesley smiled.

Thomas opened the shuttle door and peered inside. He gave one last look at Wesley and waved. Wesley nodded and folded his arms, his expression anxious.

“Bye,” Wesley said, his voice small. “Be safe.”

And Thomas boarded the shuttle, prepared for his next adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading!


End file.
